Zero
by Senya Starseeker
Summary: **Chapter 12 up** Zero has strange, mysterious dreams. Then something happens and he ends up completely insane! Can X kill him if they can't find a cure? What about with a school full of students at risk?
1. A Strange Dream and Accident

ZERO   
  


Fan Fiction by Senya   
  


twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com   
  


Disclaimer: All characters copywright by CAPCOM, I did not create them, nor do I own them. The exception is May, whom I did create. 

Author's Note: This Fan Fiction takes place between Megaman X 4 and Megaman X 5. Stars Zero because I feel he is the most interesting character with the most depth and he has the most intriguing persona. (In my opinion.)   
  


Date: August 16th 21XX 

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Login Confirmed. 

The reploid, Maverick Hunter Rank A, Head of Special Unit Team 0, fittingly, known only as Zero, opened his startlingly emerald eyes. Login confirmed. He had been deactivated for the past eight hours. Well, the others hadn't needed him and it had given him a chance to recharge his internal systems, and for the internal repair job to begin. And he did not have to think. 

Did Reploids think? 

Whatever it was, he liked it not. 

Memories of Iris and the Colonel . . . he pushed them away, he disliked the feelings it gave him, he had no control . . . over his emotions. Robots built for war but who carried with them the knowledge to discern between right and wrong, and with that the burden of emotions. Among them guilt. What a sick twist. He paused to admire the irony. 

But that alone was not all that bothered him as of late. Every time he was deactivated . . . when a Reploid is deactivated, like a robot or a machine, it is inanimate and lies dormant until it is reactivated. Therefore the mind is blank, there is nothing, not even an awareness of time. 

However . . . Every time Zero closed his eyes during deactivation he saw images. How does one see images when one's eyes are closed? Stranger yet where the images . . . 

A room. A well furnished room in a house. A human room in a human house. He could tell no Reploid dwelt there because no Reploid would need a couch with satin pillows, a carpet, or obscure paintings hanging from the walls. And the flowers, there were so many vases filled with flowers. They were not all in his programming, even, he did not recognize them. 

This was odd because Zero had never been in a human's house before. Not once, a laboratory, yes, but never a house, he had never stood in a human's house like that before. 

Then there was the figure. The adult human female, she was not facing him, she was arranging the flowers in one of the vases. He saw her from the back, he could not move, they were only images blurring before him. The long dark brown hair that hung over her shoulders, the white sweater. She was without doubt a human female. 

Zero had never known a human. 

She turned, without mistake, every time and smiled at him. 

Though he had never met this person. 

She smiled, and yet there was some deeply rooted sadness between the smile, it faded and her eyes were sad, clouded in that very human thing . . . emotion. Sorrow. He knew that emotion. 

That was all there was. Every time he was deactivated. 

It was bothersome. 

He had never known a human female. He had never stood in a human house. 

Why was he bothered with this thing. 

Zero had never told any of the other Hunters. Reploids did not see things during deactivation. What if it was a sign he was turning Maverick? 

. . . 

He was not particularly close with any of them, either, he preferred to distance himself, the less they knew about him the better. 

Of course there was one exception to that. Always one exception. 

Speak of the devil, a blue Reploid walked in just at that moment, as Zero was rising from his capsule. "Zero, have a nice rest?" He asked. 

"X . . ." The red coloured Reploid shook his head and smiled despite his heavy thoughts. "What do you say we head to the training hall, I've had . . . a lot on my mind lately." 

"I see." X paused, he knew what had happened between Zero and Iris, and how it had ended. He had no idea what Zero was thinking though, his friend was an enigma, at best. He steered the subject away from whatever Zero's mind might have been pondering. "You don't want to get out of shape, right? Let's go train together." 

"X we are Reploids, is it possible for us to get out of shape? We do not generate muscle and fat storages as living tissue does, therefore are bodies do not change or grow without manual enhancements such as upgrading--" 

"Sorry, sorry." X said. "It was just a joke. J-O-K-E. Maybe you should make one sometime." 

" . . . Sorry." 

"But then you never know with us Reploids, I mean we're programmed to have free will and even emotions so you never know . . ." X continued, almost to himself. 

"Whatever. Let's go train, then." Zero said. 

Did they truly have emotions, though? Zero wondered as he followed X through the halls of the Maverick Hunter's above-ground base. How would they know what emotions were like? Humans possessed genuine emotions, and theirs were said to mirror human behaviors but was that truly the same thing? How could they tell? When was the last time they were human? 

"ZERO!!" The blue Reploid cried at what was the fullest volume of his voice. 

"W--What? X, do you want to rupture my phonetic adaptors?" Zero shook his head and glared at the robot. 

"Sorry but I asked you three times already! Do you want to fight as a team against one of the Mavericks Douglas constructed for us to practice on or do want to fight one on one?" X would have sighed if he breathed. But Reploids don't breathe. 

"Oh, of course one on one is fine." There was the faintest trace of surprise on his friend's face. "Unless you think that will be to much of a challenge for yourself?" 

"Uh--of course not--I just--" X stuttered, but regained himself. "I don't mind at all, let's do this thing!" 

Zero's saber flashed across X's view, a quick flash of light, impossibly fast. Only he could have dogged it, he did with a diving roll and swung his buster arm around to face Zero. Zero was to fast for him, with lightning-fast reflexes he flipped up above the robot's head and landed behind him, before X could turn he felt a sudden sharp pain in his buster arm. Without looking, because he would hate the sight of it, X could feel the weightless hollow where his arm had been and the sound of snapping and sparking wires. 

There was something different in Zero's eyes just then, he thought. They weren't . . . Zero's eyes. 

Perhaps he was wrong, for just as the thought had formed in his mind Zero had caught him before X hit the ground and was supporting his fellow Maverick Hunter with concern. "Heh . . . sorry, I thought you would dodge that for sure. Guess I got carried away." 

"It's . . . okay . . ." X said but his voice was strained. 

Reploids. Their main purpose was war, but they felt the sensation of pain. 

Ah, irony. 

Lifesaver was in his shop when the automatic door slid open, he looked up and by for of habit smiled to greet Zero, when his eyes took in the scene. "Oh my . . . what in the world happened?" He asked, and went to aid Zero, who was helping X walk. "Your arm . . ." 

"Just a . . . training accident." X told him. 

An accident? Lifesaver wondered. Zero was not notorious for mistakes. Least of all when training with his closest companion. But there wasn't time for many thoughts, the two of them helped X to the examination table. "I'm not sure what I can do for you, exactly, X." Lifesaver said worriedly, as he rummaged around his work area. "Your programming is far to complex, Dr. Light--" He paused to take something to X's shoulder -- Zero could not see it, but X's body relaxed afterwards. "I severed the nero link, so you feel no pain. Now I'll need to run some scans and I'll need to get in touch with Dr. Light's hologram to help . . ." 

"This might help." Zero handed him X's arm. Lifesaver took it with a grimace and set it aside. But he did not trust Zero, he had been to suspicious for to long, and now this. 

His eyes were not his own. 

Only his imagination? 


	2. Troubling Emotions

ZERO   
  


Chapter 2   
  


Fan Fiction by Senya   
  


twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com   
  


Disclaimer: All characters copyright by CAPCOM, I did not create them, nor do I own them. The exception is May, whom I did create.   
  


The crimson hunter made his way through the bustling hallways of the Maverick Hunter's Head Quarters only half there, his mind, artificial or not, was lost in thoughts. He had just severed his best friend's arm. Oh, X would be alright, they were Reploids, and it had been a clean cut, no trouble to re-attach it, once Lifesaver got a hold of one of Dr. Light's ever elusive holograms. Yet still . . . he did not make mistakes. 

In a battle against the swarms of renegade robots they so often faced to protect humanity and the unaffected Reploids Zero did find that he lost himself. There was the first initial blows and slashes, leaps and dodges and then a surge over took him and the rest was a hazy, blind fury. But he had never attacked one of his team mates so viciously before. He never wanted to hurt X. Yet he had. 

Zero shook his head, the long golden hair swung softly from side to side as he entered his quarters. Nothing there but his resting capsule. Nothing at all. Iris had told him once that it resembled a prison cell. So what was wrong with that? He was a robot, and a warrior, what else did he need? 

Of course he instantly regretted remembering Iris. And once he started it was impossible to stop. Her soft brown hair, her gentle, innocent eyes. Her, not even a battle-reploid making him, Zero, feel such emotions . . . 

Since the day he had saved her during a mob riot in a human city he had felt different around her than he did around any one else, even X. . . She interested him more and more. But they were reploids, they were artificial, did they know love? 

"I love you, Zero." That was what she had said to him. 

Had he said that to her? 

No. 

Guilt, guilt. 

Guilt tugging at his mind, vile regrets. Oh, he could not blame her for hating him, in the end, he destroyed her brother, the Colonel. Had he not been friends with the Colonel so shortly before that? The Colonel was not mad, he only had a--a different opinion--he had his values astray, that was all. Was it right to kill him? Kill. Kill. Kill. 

"Be quiet!" Zero yelled into his own mind. He abhorred the torment, the pain inside of his mind, the tugging. He was sorry, oh he was sorry but it never stopped, the painful thing . . . emotion . . . never went away. What other choice had he had? He asked himself again and again. There was no other choice, no other option, he had to kill the Colonel to save everyone, it was his job as a Maverick Hunter, his duty-- 

And Iris, beautiful Iris, they had only grown closer and closer until the Colonel died--by Zero's own hand--Iris had been so close to her brother. She had wanted revenge. He had killed her. With his own hands. Kill. Kill. Kill. 

"No!" Zero shouted, this time he actually shouted it aloud, into the darkness of his room. "It wasn't like that--it wasn't--" He fell to his knees in the darkness, clutching his head, his mind, why did his mind delight in replaying these sick images. Iris in his arms. Iris dying. Dying. Killed. Murdered. MURDERED! Screamed his mind back at him. 

"NO!!" Zero screamed, but it was yes, and there was no changing it. They were both dead, by his hand, he was a killer. Just like before only now he knew the difference between right and wrong, now he had had the choice of what to do, now he felt the guilt. The guilt. 

Was there no end? 

Yes. He stood up, suddenly a spark in his mind. There could be a remedy, there had to be. He swept quickly out of his quarters, down the hallway again. Alia passed him and greeted him cheerfully, he brushed by, not seeing her. 

He burst into Lifesaver's office and stood directly before him. "Erase my memories." 

Silence. Lifesaver was to stunned to reply at first, he had just a moment before been working very meticulously through a mountain of paperwork and suddenly, out of nowhere this. "Erase my memories." The hunter repeated. 

" . . . Zero." Lifesaver began, regaining his composure. "What in the world has gotten into you?" 

"Don't make me repeat myself again, Reploid." Zero narrowed his emerald eyes into an icy glare. 

"But why?" 

"My reason is my own. Now do it. I know you can." He said coldly. 

"No, no I absolutely can not do that, I'm sorry Zero that's just the way it is." Lifesaver turned back to his paperwork, but Zero's fists came down on the desk, shattering it into to halves. The white reploid leapt back in surprise. 

"Don't make me ask you . . . again." Zero said in a voice very much like a growl, a tone Lifesaver had never heard before. 

As fate would have it X walked into the office at that moment, his Buster arm re-attached and looking as good as new. The blue reploid's eyes widened in alarm as he took in the sight. "Zero what are you doing?" He cried, and ran quickly between the two of them. "Knock it off!" 

Something that was alien and had been in Zero's eyes as he intimidated Lifesaver faded into their normal placid shade. "X . . ." 

Lifesaver cleared his throat uneasily and bent to retrieve the pieces of his desktop from the floor, X bent to help him and at last when they had cleaned up the office to some satisfaction both sets of eyes turned back to Zero. "X," It was Lifesaver who spoke. "Zero wants me to erase his memories. I just can not do that." 

"Your memories?! Zero why? Such a thing!" X exclaimed. 

Zero looked away, it was then that X noticed his friend's hands were clenched tightly into fists. "It isn't so much . . ." 

"I would have to disagree, Zero." Lifesaver told him. "I know you have a lot of bad memories but every life has some tragedy in it, those negative memories together with the positive are what make us who we are. If I were to delete your memories you would not even be Zero any longer, you would be a completely different person. Are past experiences shape us and give us our individual identities so that we are more than just robots. Without your memories you could . . ." He trailed off and fell silent. Zero's eyes had shadowed over, without a word he turned and left the room, his long hair swishing behind him. 

X glanced at Lifesaver and then quickly followed him. "Zero what is it? What's wrong?" There was deep concern on his face. 

Zero did not reply, he continued walking, staring straight ahead as though not even aware of his friend's presence. 

"Zero!" X tried again, half-running to keep up with Zero's quickly-paced strides. 

". . . Leave me alone, X." 

"But Zero--" 

"It is not your concern!" The Maverick Hunter snapped at X harshly, then continued on, leaving X stopped in his tracks. 

Alone, again, in his dark room Zero moved towards the capsule. But no, there was no rest there, either, not with his dreams. And now he had just yelled at X, his closest friend, his only real friend, the only one that didn't think he was a filthy murderer just waiting to turn Maverick. 

He sighed, even though he didn't breathe, and leaned against the outside of the capsule instead, resting his head against it he closed his eyes. Damn it, damn it all. And that worthless Lifesaver-- he hated his memories. 

Iris laughing. Iris smiling at him, winking. And then always, always, Iris lying there in his own arms, battered, dying. . . Again and again and again, always, always! 

He did not even notice when his door slid open and shut softly again and the blue reploid approached him with concern. But he did feel the hand on his shoulder and the familiar warmth in the touch. He opened his eyes to a friendly face, that was something, at least. 

There was silence for a long time as the two hunters gazed at each other. Zero was the one to break it, "I'm sorry I snapped at you, X." 

"It's alright." X said softly. "But Zero please, please, tell me what's wrong! I'm your friend and I want to help you but I can't if you don't tell me anything! Please! Why did you want Lifesaver to erase your memories?" 

". . . I have to many memories I don't want." The other replied. 

"Like what? Meeting me?" It was supposed to be a joke, but it didn't sound that way when he voiced it. 

"Of course not!" Zero said, and there was real pain in his voice. "Iris, the Colonel, it was bad enough learning that I was a Maverick and all those that I must have killed then but--but Iris--" 

"Zero . . ." He was usually so composed, X thought, heck, Zero was always so composed, so cool and collected but not now. He had nothing to say though, what could be said to that? He had no choice? He'd heard that, those words were of no help. No words could be. . . 

"And--" Zero continued suddenly, breaking X's thoughts, "There's something else, X. There's something else, I don't know, there might be something wrong with me . . ." 

"W--What?" X asked, startled. 

"I've been having dreams, not only the dream where I'm in the laboratory with that crazy scientist, not only that--" 

"Then what?" X asked, "What could be bothering you more than that?" 

Zero had to smile at that, because it was true the dream that was bothering him seemed far less disturbing. "It's a dream . . . where I'm standing in a house I've never been in before, a human house. . ." And Zero told X all about his recent dreams of the unknown human female and the human house. 

Only to X, he would only tell this dream to X. 

His friend listened closely until he had finished and then shook his head as though in disbelief. "Man your other dreams were freaky enough--and just the fact that you were dreaming at all--but this, and your sure it's no one you know?" 

"Positive." Zero nodded. 

"I don't know . . . maybe we should tell Lifesaver, or Signas he'd--" 

"No." Zero said sternly. "No one needs to know about it. I don't know . . . what this means, X." 

"Oh . . . okay." There was a long silence, and then X lifted his head at a sudden thought, "What about if we find out if this human is real? We could find out who she is and maybe that would help, somehow?" 

". . . X," Zero closed his eyes, "I don't even know what her name is, or if she is real!" But there was something to what X had said, and suddenly he felt the urge, the need to know who this woman was who haunted his dreams with even more regularity then the shadowed scientist and the bloody hands. "But you are right . . . I want to know who she is. . . I want to know everything about her!" 

Author's Notes: Who is this mysterious human? Read the next chapter to find out!!   
  



	3. The Human--May

ZERO 

Chapter 3 

Fan Fiction by Senya 

twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com   
  


Disclaimer: All characters copyright by CAPCOM, I did not create them, nor do I own them. The exception is May, whom I did create.   
  


"Alia. . ." X said, as he leaned over her shoulder and watched the flashing computer screen. "Won't you please help us with this?" 

"I don't know, I have a lot of work to do and it seems kind of silly--I mean you want me to find out who this human is, right? But all you know is that she's a Caucasian female with dark brown hair, between the ages of twenty and thirty. That isn't a lot of help. Why do you need this anyway?" The pink-clad female reploid asked. 

"Because . . ." X trailed off, remembering that Zero did not want anyone to know about his bizarre dreams. "Um, please, Alia? Please . . ." 

Alia studied the blue Maverick Hunter's face for a good long minute and then sighed. "Well fine, fine I'll help you but only for you two. I wouldn't be wasting my time like this for anyone else and you owe me!" 

"Yeah, thanks Alia." X said as she began to type something on the screen. 

Zero, who had been silent for while X 'sweet-talked' Alia stepped forward and watched the screen over the female reploid's shoulder as images and biographies of human females who fit his description flashed across the screen. "No, no, no, no . . ." Then something. "Wait, stop." Alia froze the screen. 

Zero stared at the photograph in disbelief, it was clearly the woman from his dream. The kind face, long dark hair. She was even wearing the same white sweater. "That . . ." 

"Her name," Said Alia, reading off of the screen. "Is May Mistweaver. Human female, age twenty-two, she lives in the human city Toronto. She's the owner of a small flower shop, according to this, and the granddaughter of an important scientist who worked on artificial intelligence and Reploids until he published something that went to far and he was expelled from the scientific community." 

"What was it?" Zero asked. 

"I don't know." 

After the two Hunters left Alia's office, Zero turned to X. ". . . Do you want to go to the training centre with me?" 

". . . No." Said X, instinctively touching his shoulder where Zero had accidently severed it the day before. 

The crimson hunter couldn't hold back his slight smile. "I meant to talk." He explained. 

"Oh, okay then." X relaxed a little. "I'm sorry Zero but you really walloped me bad last time . . ." 

"Hm, I remember well I thought you would dodge it." His friend said as the two entered the observation area of the centre, were they could sit and view the other Hunters training. 

"So, you found out who she is, huh?" X said as they sat down. "May Mistweaver, living in Toronto. Are you going to go see her?" 

"What?" Asked Zero, startled, "See her?" 

"Yeah, I mean you must have been having those dreams for a reason, you say you've never met her but she's a real person and she's living in a human city not that far from here!" 

Zero was silent and thought about that, he had been having dreams about her. It was strange, he had no memory of meeting her. "I don't know, X . . ." 

"Come on! I'll go with you!" X said cheerfully. 

It was a warm summer day, of course the weather was always warmer these days, but she enjoyed it. May sat in her living room, leafing through a magazine casually, it was a Sunday and she didn't bother opening the store. Her living room was lavishly decorated and furnished, maybe it was silly with all of the Maverick wars going on, knowing her home could be blown away someday. But still . . . 

At that moment the door bell rang. 

"Whoever it is, I don't want to talk to them . . ." She said to herself, "No way! I'm not answering it." 

The door bell rang again. 

She groaned, it couldn't be one of her friends, so that meant a salesperson, or her father, he was probably trying to 'patch things up' between them again. It would never be enough though, whatever he did, whatever he bought. She thought bitterly. 

The door bell rang a third time. 

The person was obviously not going to go away so May threw her hands up in despair and walked to the front door, pulled it open-- 

The door opened, Zero saw her, the human female from his hauntingly reoccurring dreams, but when she saw him her brown eyes widened in surprise so great--it was as though she recognized him. She stepped backwards suddenly, her eyes still wide, and the colour drained from her face. Groping blindly for the edge of the door May grabbed it and slammed it shut with all of her might. 

"Gee, what did we do?" X asked, he was standing behind Zero. "Maybe she's one of those reploid-phobic humans." 

Zero shook his head, there was something, but he did not know what. "I know her, somehow, even though I can not remember. . . my dreams are always the same. She looks at me sadly." 

"Well she didn't seem very happy to see you." X said. 

"I know." 

Behind the door May Mistweaver took several deep breathes, her knees felt weak, she fell with her back to the door, shaking all over her body. It was him but how could it be him? After all of the years . . . 

"Come on, Zero, I don't think she's going to talk to us." X said, he turned back to the car. "Let's go." 

". . . Yeah, sure." Zero turned to follow him, they were almost to the blue and silver vehicle when a voice called to them: 

"Wait! Wait! I'm sorry, please forgive me that was very rude, wasn't it?" They turned back, she had opened the door, and was standing there, some of the colour had come back to her face. 

"Miss . . . Mistweaver, correct?" Asked Zero, she didn't seem to hear him, she walked up to him with a strange look in her eyes. 

"It's you, it's really you, isn't it?" She asked. 

"Um, I'm not sure." He told her warily. Who was this human? Really? 

"Oh . . . well, won't you come in? I really am sorry for slamming the door in your face like that. I was just surprised. . ." 

Surprised? More like terrified, thought X, but he kept his thoughts to himself. 

The three of them entered her house, and stood in the living room rather awkwardly. 

"So . . ." She began, waving her hand in the air vaguely. "You are . . . a Reploid, aren't you." 

"Yes." Zero nodded. 

Her face seemed to contort a little, as though that was a painful thing to hear. 

"My name is Zero, and this is X." He continued. 

"Zero . . ." She repeated. "I see." She shifted uncomfortably. "And what brings you here then . . . Zero?" 

"Well . . ." He broke off when he noticed the photograph on the coffee table, it was in a small frame. It was the human, May, and standing beside her was . . . himself? It looked like him, the same face, the same green eyes, and the long blonde hair. But he wasn't wearing red armor, he was wearing human clothes. He looked like . . . a human man?   
  



	4. Zero's Origin?!

ZERO 

Chapter 4 

Fan Fiction by Senya 

twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com   
  


Disclaimer: All characters copyright by CAPCOM, I did not create them, nor do I own them. The exception is May, whom I did create. 

Author's Note: Thanks for the kind reviews, you guys are so nice :) hope I don't disappoint!   
  


May saw Zero staring at the photograph and immediately turned it face down. 

"Who is that . . . in the photograph?" He asked. 

"N--no one." May answered nervously. 

"Who is it?!" He repeated. He knew something here was important, it kept tugging at his mind. But he just couldn't know what it was. . . 

"It's . . . it was my boyfriend, taken four years ago, in Niagra Falls." She answered softly. "But it doesn't matter now, does it? He died four years ago." 

He died. 

Four years ago. 

Then it was all just a coincidence. Because he, Zero, had been just that--Zero, four years ago. What idiocy, of course he had! He'd been around for longer than this human had been alive, in fact, so therefore-- 

Suddenly something erupted in the back of his mind, it was like a tidal wave--a flood of something, and it seemed to overload the system. Everything in his eyes flashed white and was gone, he felt himself falling forwards. 

"Zero?!" X exclaimed, as his friend toppled over forwards without warning. 

May cried out and jumped backwards to avoid being crushed by the tall (and probably very heavy) reploid. 

He collapsed on the ground in her living room, causing the furniture to shudder.   
  


He was in a hospital, it was so white--glowing, no, maybe it was his eyes, everything was blurred and hazy--shaking. He was walking down one of the long hallways, human nurses and doctors where watching him. Why . . .? 

He came to the end of the hallway, the human--May--was there, she was talking with one of the doctors--human doctors. When he came up to her she looked at him and smiled but it was obviously feigned. There were tears resting her eyes. She turned quickly away.   
  


"Zero?! Zero!!" X was calling him, it sounded from far away, but his head was ringing, Zero touched a hand to his helmet to steady his head, the world swayed beneath him. 

"Stop yelling." He mumbled, slowly rising to his feet, he felt like crap but there was no way on Earth he was letting that human know it. She was beginning to freak him out enough as it was. 

"A--are you okay?" She asked. There was concern in her eyes. No . . . fear . . . ? 

Blasted human emotions. He could never figure them out. 

"I'm fine." He answered in his usual nonchalant voice. 

He remembered the--the vision--what was it? 

"I know this sounds stupid but . . . I've been somewhere with you before, haven't I?" Zero asked her. "A human hospital." 

Her eyes widened. "Oh no." She said in a whisper. "No, no, no, this isn't happening. I'm sorry you'll have to leave now." She began to walk towards the door. 

"Wait." Zero grabbed her arm. "I need you to talk to me! How do I know you?" 

"You don't!" She practically yelled. "Let go of me!" 

May tried to jerk her arm out of the reploid's grasp but he was to strong. 

It was strange, the feeling of a robot's hand. It was . . . cold. 

"I KNOW I know you!" Zero practically yelled back. 

What was he doing? Losing his cool over a human like this? Zero released her arm. 

She stepped backwards a few feet, rubbing her arm. "You're a reploid." She said, shaking her head. "Why should I say anything to you? Get out of my house before I call the police!" 

Now he was angry! "Why you--if it weren't for us Maverick Hunters you and all of your human friends would have been killed by Mavericks and Sigma a hundred times over!" 

". . . . . ." 

X stepped forwards and tried to calm Zero down. "Come on, Zero, let's go, she's not going to tell us anything." 

"I CAN'T leave now!" Zero protested. "I have to know what this means! Why do I see your face when I sleep?!" 

". . . . . ." 

A voice in the back of her mind: Doesn't he have the right to know? Isn't it partly your fault, anyways? What right do you have to deny him the truth if he really wants to know? 

Are you going to torment the man you loved? 

*But he isn't a man anymore, just a replicate. A facsimile. That's all any of them are. Reploids.* 

But she sighed, and drawing a shaky breath looked Zero straight in the eye, there was a strange look on her face. "You really want to know the truth, huh?" 

Zero nodded. 

"Alright . . . Zero. I'll tell you. The truth is I'm not really twenty-two, I'm more like a hundred and fifty two. Secondly, that photograph was taken when I was eighteen, which was back in the age of Megaman and Rush Dog. And thirdly, my name was not originally May Mistweaver--I had it legally changed--it was originally May Wily. Grand-daughter of the infamous Dr. Wily." 

The two reploids where shocked into silence, their eyes wide in shock. They couldn't even think of anything to say: May Wily continued. 

She cleared the air with her hand, and sat down on the couch. "The man in the photograph was Nathan Soland, my boyfriend. Back then . . . I had no idea of my grandfather's evil schemes to control the world and destroy Megaman. Everything was just . . . great. Just great. Then of course it all had to get blown to hell!" The human took another deep breath, shaky, there were almost invisible tears falling from her eyes as she spoke. She was no longer looking at Zero, but at the photograph, having retrieved it from the coffee table. "But Nathan had a lot of health problems . . . he was almost always sick or in the hospital. He was so frail! When the Doctor's told me he had only a year or so left to live . . .I . . . I didn't know what to do! I--I knew that my grandfather was a scientist, and since my father had died when I was young he'd always had a special place in his heart for me. 

Wily told me he had a great idea--he would change the reploid he was working on--which would have been a near duplicate to Dr. Light's X project, to a reploid that would be made in the image of Nathan. I--I didn't know! I DIDN'T KNOW!!" May began to cry harder, her voice broke off and she covered her face with her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. 

X was to stunned to speak, but his instinct to help people, drove him to move towards the pained human, until Zero raised a hand to stop him. 

Zero himself was the one who moved to May, the one who--summoning what tenderness he could, for he had never done so before--held her in his arms and--trying his best to be gentle--stroked her brown hair. 

She stopped crying suddenly, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "No that isn't all. Zero, you were that reploid, obviously, but it wasn't only your appearance that my grandfather used. He was a mad man! If I had known that at the time I--" She took another breath. "To make the reploid he needed something more. Keep in mind that you, Zero, together with X, were the first reploids ever to made with free will and thoughts and emotions. Because Wily didn't really know how to do it--or maybe just because he was insane--he used the brain wave patterns and DNA structure of Nathan as the blueprint for what he would use in his reploid."   
  


Zero understood. He had been modeled, not only in appearance after a real human man, but also his mind. And that man had been her boyfriend. So that was how . . . he knew her. 

"But. . ." She continued, "Wily was to insane, he made you, Zero, for the purpose of destroying Megaman. And when you were activated you were--insane as well. You not only killed Megaman but you killed my grand father, and me as well. You killed me, Zero." 

"No . . ." He said. "But you're here right now." 

She laughed bitterly. "Oh really? Real humans don't live one hundred and fifty years! I don't even look fifty, do I? Not even close! You see, I should have died, with the wounds you gave me! I WANTED to die! But the other scientist that surrounded Wily and kissed his butt all day rebuilt my body. I'm the 'apple of their eye' you could say, half human, half machine. They never once stopped to think that maybe I didn't want to live on like this! Some of their sons or grandsons still come by from time to time apologizing but it will never be enough." 

". . . I'm sorry." He said, it sounded worthless, those words. 

How can you apologize for killing some body? Just like Iris . . . history runs in loops. 

"It was never your fault." May shook her head. "You never asked to be created. It was my fault, for not being able to deal properly with my loss. But I--" 

Suddenly the house shook violently, furniture slid and toppled over, a great explosion tore through their ears. For a moment the world was silent. Then, in a flash sirens wailed and the screams of people and reploids alike on the street outside rose over them like a torrent. "What's going on?" X cried, he ran to the front windows and peered out. "The city is under attack, Zero, it's Mavericks!" 

"Damn!" Zero joined him, outside a group of Mavericks tore down the street. They were larger than average, taller than the humans. "They seem to be in a definite group." Zero said quietly, "Notice how they follow that big one in the front, I bet he's the leader." 

"So we take him out and the rest are no problem!" X finished. "Let's go!" 

The Maverick Hunters raced to the street, X powered his Buster, and Zero drew his saber. The Mavericks stopped when they saw the two reploids. 

"You aren't going to run like the others?" Laughed one, he was tall, his armor was the colour of wine and it displayed long yellow fangs and nails almost like talons. Its eyes glowed red for a moment, eyeing them. "Maverick Hunters . . ." He hissed. 

"That's right! I'm X and this is Zero! So stop terrorizing these civilians right now or we'll have no choice but to fight you!" X shouted. 

Zero said nothing, he tightened his grip on the saber. Mavericks never listened to reason. 

The fanged Maverick laughed, just as Zero had expected, "Ha! I want to fight! Puny reploids, we're not afraid of you! We're not afraid of anything! You aren't even aware of how much you're totally capable of until after you ascended to Maverick freedom!" 

"You mean descend into Maverick insanity!" X tried, but a second Maverick, a large emerald coloured female fired at him. X dodged it expertly, but the time for talk was past, Zero leapt at the fanged Maverick, X took the emerald one. 

Zero leapt at it, but this Maverick had a surprise--wings, they burst from his back while Zero was in mid-air, large bat-like things that spread out--black. It made a hissing sound at Zero and swiftly moved out of his path. Zero turned the leap into a diving roll and landed on the ground, he leapt to his feet and spun around. The Maverick was diving down after him, Zero swung his saber around and thrust it between the robot's eyes. It screeched as the saber tore through it, its head fell into two pieces and the body collapsed, the head a mess of sparking wires and spilling Maverick-blood. 

The leader set his sights on Zero at that, he was the largest of the Mavericks, at least twelve feet tall, and with an enormous shoulder span and huge arms. He was bronze in colour, but his eyes were black, and he grinned wickedly, leaping down at Zero and punching him from behind.   
  


X fired his fully charged Buster at the emerald Maverick, she laughed and spun out of the way, then doubled-back, preformed a leaping flip and before X knew what hit him she had landed on his head. Her boots dug into his shoulder and the impact caused his knees to buckle. He managed to fling her off, she collided with a parked car. The windshield smashed. She looked at X with fire in her eyes and screaming leapt at him, from her hands nails like razors shot out, she swung them at him. X dove backwards, and swung his buster arm at her, he fired and the shot struck her point blank. It was over. 

Zero buckled under the massive blow of the Maverick leader. He turned around, raising his saber. "You think you can beat me?" The Maverick asked. 

"No . . ." Said Zero, in a split second he leapt and spun up around the Maverick, kicking his knees out and holding his saber at the robot's neck. ". . . I know I can beat you." 

With one swipe of Zero's glowing saber the fight was finished. The leader's head spun through a close by store window sending shards of glass raining across the street. 

Zero and X nodded to each other from opposite ends of the street, the Mavericks were deleted, the city was safe. 

May came out of her house shakily and looked around at the destruction. It wasn't actually all that bad to the Maverick Hunter's eyes, but regular people--human people--were rarely truly exposed to such a scene. "Is it . . . over?" She asked. 

Zero nodded. "Your city is safe." 

". . . For the time being, at least." 

He did not reply. 

"Sorry, I don't mean to sound ungrateful. . . . Well that's that, good bye." May turned back to her house. 

"Wait!" Zero called. "After all I know . . . you want me to just forget about you?!" 

She turned half ways towards facing him, the one eye he could see was filled with tears. ". . . I wish you would. I'm sorry, Zero, but you are just a reploid. I don't know if it means you are more than a human, or less than a human, but you aren't a human. You can't feel the wind brush gently along the back of your arms, you can't feel the crisp freshness of autumn, or know the joy of wading over pebbles in a merry brook in the heart of summer. And regardless of what the scientist's may say . . . I don't believe that you can know love either, not truly. So . . . it hurts me to look at you. You aren't Nathan. You're just his gravestone."   
  


Author's Note: Well it's not the end (I wouldn't end it like this) things are going to get even crazier in the next chapter-- "INSANITY"--just wait! Oh yeah, and for purposes of my fan fiction can we all just pretend that Zero learned about being created by Wily and killing Megaman back in the ending of X 4 instead of X 5 'cause I couldn't write my fanfiction to take place between X 5 and X 6 because Zero was dead then and after X 6 he went away so that's why it ends up like this, kind of messed up, but oh well, it is just a fan fiction after all! Also X knows about Zero killing Megaman in this because he wasn't surprised when May mentioned that (this just makes more sense . . . I fear to many surprises in one day and my dear reploids would die on me -_-; ) C ya in Chapter 5!! 


	5. Insanity

ZERO 

Chapter 5 

Fan Fiction by Senya 

twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com 

Disclaimer: All characters copyright by CAPCOM, I did not create them, nor do I own them. The exception is May, whom I did create.   
  


Now the two dreams were one. It began with the shadowed scientist and awakening in the capsule. Only he was still inside of the dream. The scientist, Wily, he killed him, his hands were covered in human blood, he was dizzy and angry. He stumbled through the wreckage of the lab, fell through a doorway, struggling rose to his feet. There was another room outside of the laboratory, upstairs. It was different, there were white walls and sunlight pouring through open windows. There was a human woman there with long brown hair. She looked at him sadly: 

"Oh Nathan . . . was it asking to much, to want to bring you back?" She asked softly, already realizing whose blood it was dripping from his hands, already realizing her own fate . . . 

"NO!" Zero screamed, he woke himself out of deactivation, a first in the history of Reploids, and shuddered. The dream had been different that time, it was both dreams together. Dr. Wily and May Mistweaver. The two people responsible for his creation. Only one was evil and the other was . . . he didn't know. The hunter staggered from his resting capsule and ran a hand through his golden bangs. He felt agitated still by the dream, even after waking. "How strange . . ." 

He could still here the old man's voice echoing in the back of his mind . . . "Even if you kill me you will never be free of your creator, Zero!! Not ever!" 

Why . . . ? 

He left his quarters and entered the hallway, enormous windows revealed the clear and sunny day outside, but it failed to lift his spirits. X approached him, "Hi Zero, today we have that meeting, remember? Signas is going to discuss out over all statistics against the Mavericks and . . . . . .are you feeling okay, Zero?" 

"Y-Yeah, of course." Zero assured him, "It's nothing." But he'd suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. Reploids didn't get sick, but he chose to ignore. 

*It's nothing, I'll have to wait until after the meeting anyways, then I can have Lifesaver take a look at it . . .* 

But as the two Hunters entered the counsel room the pain increased until it was almost blinding, he had just opened his mouth to tell X when the world dipped and sunk into a very different, very hazy, perception . . .   
  


X glanced over at his friend, Zero's eyes seemed strange, unfocused, but he entered the room and sat down like nothing was wrong, so the blue hunter had no choice but to sit beside him and hope it was all his imagination . . .   
  


* * * * *   
  


The meeting was droning on for so long, it had already been forty-five minutes already. X glanced nervously at Zero, the red Hunter was obviously bored out of his mind, he was sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes half shut. "How much longer is this idiot going to go on for?" He asked X under his breath. 

"W--what?!" X asked, he'd never heard Zero say such a thing before about their leader, Signas. 

Luckily, Signas didn't appear to have heard, he was turning to several maps and charts. Zero groaned audibly. A few of the Hunters sitting close to them glanced quickly in their direction. 

"It isn't THAT bad, Zero." X said in a whisper. "Besides it's important." 

"Unimportant, you mean." Zero replied, "We should be out there busting Mavericks not stuck in here listening to this dumb ass drone on about pointless facts and waste our time." Now the other reploids had turned to hear Zero, even Signas had stopped his presentation, Zero didn't seem to care. "I mean, face it X, Signas is the most worthless of all the Hunters even wimps like Alia and Douglas who never get off their fat asses to do anything of much use are better than this blabbering retard." 

All of the reploids around the table were staring at Zero with dumbfounded expressions, several of their mouths hung open, and all eyes were large. Signas was staring at Zero with his mouth hanging open, his speech long since forgotten. "W--what is the meaning of this, Zero?" He asked, regaining his composure. 

"I'm just stating the obvious, when was the last time you risked your neck saving the world? All you do is sit around on your butt all day and then take the credit for my (and X's) hard work!" Zero flipped his hair back and stood up. "You'd probably be worse of in battle than Douglas!" 

"Hey!" The large green mechanic whined, but no one seemed to hear him. 

Signas' face was twitching angrily. "Do you want a pay cut, Zero?!" 

"Ooh a pay cut I'm shaking!!" Zero said sarcastically. He leaned over the table and smirked at the ruffled Signas. "Why don't you just go ahead and FIRE me, eh, Signas? I'll tell you why--because without me your measly excuse of a team would be wiped off the map by Mavericks. I am the best Hunter you've got and hell, I'm the ONLY hunter you've got that's worth anything at all!" 

"Z--Zero--" X said nervously. "What's wrong with you?" 

Zero didn't appear to hear him, Signas' hands were clenched tightly with rage. 

"I TOLD you this would happen!" Lifesaver said suddenly, leaping to his feet. "He's gone Maverick! I told you we should have had him taken care of!" 

Zero turned to face Lifesaver and smirked. "Oh, shut up." He pulled out his buster. 

"Zero NO!" X cried, but it was to late, Zero fired and Lifesaver was flung across the room, he crashed into the back wall and lay still. 

"Oh my goodness . . ." Alia murmured, "He HAS gone Maverick!" 

"No, no that isn't possible!" X cried desperately. "Zero, Zero, say it isn't so--" 

Zero turned to his blue friend, his green eyes flickering with madness. "What's the matter, X, don't you agree with me? Why should these pitiful excuses for Reploids get all the credit after we do all the work?" 

"What are you talking about, Zero?!" X said. "These are our friends! We're a team, we beat the Mavericks together!" 

Zero threw back his head an laughed, a cold, heartless laugh. "Is that so? Well, would I do this to a 'friend'?" Zero pointed his buster at Alia, but X jumped at him, and pushed him out of the way. 

"Stop it, Zero!!" 

Just then an alarm sounded throughout the room. 

"Would all Maverick Hunters please report to your battle stations immediately, this is not a drill. Repeat . . ." Said a voice over the intercom. 

"The city must be under attack!" Signas exclaimed. 

Zero laughed, "Well, let's go down there X, it is our job, right?" 

"H--huh? O--okay, Zero." X said with an even more confused expression. He shrugged helplessly to Signas as the two left the room. 

On the streets of the city far below the Maverick Hunter's H.Q. people and reploids screamed as a group of Mavericks swept over them. X and Zero leapt into the fray, Zero pulled out his saber, X his Buster. X went after a large yellow and gold Maverick with claws, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Zero. His friend was taking on dozens of the enemies at once, he had leapt into the battle as though totally uncaring for his own safety, he was slashing and tearing away at the Mavericks insanely. X blasted his own Maverick through the skull, and stunned, watched Zero destroy the rest single-handedly in a wave of fury. 

Then, when all of the Mavericks had fallen without pause or mercy Zero began killing the humans and reploids as well! "NO!" X screamed, horrified at the sight. "NO, Zero, STOP IT!!" He ran to the Hunter's side, and tried to grab his arms, but Zero flung him away effortlessly. It was in that split second that X saw it--the hideous 'W' glowing on Zero's helmet. "No . . . please, no. . ." X pleaded as he felt his body collide with a building. Dazed, the blue Hunter rose to his feet to see Signas confronting Zero. 

"Zero you have clearly gone Maverick so therefore I have no choice . . ." He closed his eyes and pulled out his own Buster. 

Zero, with lightening fast speed dodged out the shot's way and before Signas realized what was happening Zero had his arm tight in his grasp. Zero smiled evilly, and his eyes seemed to glow with a strange, malicious, look. He tore the General's arm out of it's socket and flung it away. 

Signas gasped in pain, and instinctively clutched the gaping hole of circuits and sparking wires were his arm had been. "Damn you, Zero . . ." He coughed, flung a punch at the renegade Hunter. It struck him, and Signas' strength, even in his weakened state caused Zero to stagger backwards a few feet, but the reploid easily caught his balance, and with a despicable smirk leapt up over the surrounding buildings and vanished from sight. . . 


	6. Betrayals and Confessions

ZERO 

Chapter 6 

Fan Fiction by Senya 

twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com   
  


Disclaimer: All characters copyright by CAPCOM, I did not create them, nor do I own them. The exception is May, whom I did create. 

Author's Note: Okay I thought about this for a long time and as to when this fan fic takes place, I changed my mind (sorry, sorry) but instead of taking place between X 4 and X 5 it takes place between post X 6 and when Zero goes away (it never says that he goes off to find the scientists RIGHT after the game ends, does it?) This just makes a helluva lot more sense for my fan fic and thanks to Omega Dragoon for pointing that out. (Sweatdrop) sorry for confusing everyone but it just makes a lot more sense this way. Oh yes, and the rating went up for use of a bad word. Or two.   
  


"What is . . . what is wrong with Zero?" X asked quietly, watching his friend disappear over the buildings of their city.   
  


"We interrupt this program for a special live bulletin . . ." May Mistweaver glanced up from her weathered copy of Edgar Alan Poe at the television. 

"A well known Maverick Hunter and former hero, known as Zero, has been suspected of going Maverick after attacking several civilian reploids and humans in the down town area under an hour ago. Reports say . . ." 

"Maverick . . ." May repeated in shock, the book, the television, both forgotten, she stood and moved across the room to the window. "How . . .?"   
  


"How?!" X asked Signas again, the young General was in the process of having his arm reattached, Lifesaver hovered over him. He sighed and glanced at X. 

"You've been asking that for the past half hour and I don't know! Maybe he just . . . I don't know succumbed to the Maverick virus or something." 

"No!" The blue Hunter shook his head. "I absolutely refuse to believe that! Zero would not--Zero would not--" His voice broke off, his hands were clenched tightly into fists and Signas could see that he was shaking. 

"Listen, X, we're calling in Dr. Cain, if there's anything we can do to help Zero we're going to give it a try!" Signas assured him. 

"Idiots!" A voice behind them spoke sharply, it was Lifesaver, his mouth was twisted bitterly and he slammed his fist down onto one of the examination tables furiously. "Idiots! You know what kind of power that Maverick possesses! You need to destroy him! And quickly before he kills more people!" 

"How dare you refer to Zero as 'that Maverick!'" X cried, "He's saved your life and the lives of everyone on this planet!" 

"X calm down," Signas said sternly, but not unkindly. "You to, Lifesaver. We still don't know what exactly is causing Zero to act this way, it may not be the Maverick virus, it may be something else altogether." 

"There's no way to stop it." Lifesaver told them suddenly, he turned to the window, the dark of the night sky outside was thick and ominous. 

"W-what?" X asked. 

"I said there isn't any way to stop it. That virus is special, it's new. Virus R.P.D.02. He's dangerous. You need to destroy him." 

"How do you know this, Lifesaver?" Signas asked slowly, rising from the examination table. 

"Because I--I am the one who created the R.P.D. 02 virus and I was the one who inserted it into Zero!" 

"W-WHAT?!" Signas gasped in anger. "You did WHAT?!" 

Before X could even form a response the General had plastered Lifesaver to the wall and was pinning him there--several inches above the ground--with his unwounded arm. "You fucking shit Lifesaver! Why the hell did you do that?! You took our most powerful--most dangerous--most DEADLY Maverick Hunter and you injected him with a VIRUS to make him go INSANE! Why?!" 

X had never seen Signas lose his temper before, but now the General was clearly furious and X stayed out of his way. 

"Be--because--" Lifesaver gasped in pain. "I did it for your own sake! All of you! You could never see how dangerous that reploid was! You never believed me when I said you should watch out for him, Signas! But now you know! Now you can SEE! He's a dangerous monster! A killer!" 

"Because of what YOU DID to him!" Signas growled, he shoved Lifesaver hard against the wall and let go of him. 

"You mean . . ." X asked slowly, "You mean that you turned Zero into a killer so that we would have to destroy him just because . . . just because you've always been afraid of him?" 

"Zero was a ticking time bomb!" Lifesaver spat. "What would have happened if he'd gone off when X wasn't here--we'd all be dead that's what! I had to prevent that!" 

"Oh, so you see yourself as some kind of a hero!?" Signas asked. "All of those people in the city were killed or seriously injured because of YOU, Lifesaver! Because you did that to one of our bravest, most honorable Maverick Hunters. You're putting him and all of us through hell for what?! Because you never liked him! Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you myself right now!" 

"Ha . . . even if you do I'll still get what I wanted . . . X will still have to kill Zero . . . and then everyone will be safe . . . we won't have to worry about him going Maverick ever again . . ." 

"No!" X shook his head. "I won't do it, there's no way! I'll never kill Zero!" 

Lifesaver laughed bitterly, "You'll have to, there's no cure once that virus is released into a Reploid's system it completely disrupts it and there's no getting rid of it without erasing the Reploid's entire mind, memories, skills, and personality. I know, I created it, remember, and I injected it while I was repairing some minor wounds on Zero after one of your missions. I know it's working perfectly and there's no stopping it." 

"I refuse to believe that." Said a different voice, an elderly, calm and rational voice from the doorway. 

"Dr. Cain!" X cried, and spun around to see the old, but still capable and independent man who had revived him and who had never doubted either his or Zero's intentions. 

"Good evening X," Cain nodded, "Signas . . . and Lifesaver. It seems that your fear has corrupted you so much that you would do such a deceitful thing. But never fear, X, everything has an anti-thesis, it's only a matter of finding it." 

X's face lit up with hope at this, if Cain said so it was true. It had to be. 

Signas sighed and clearly relaxed a little, he bowed to the doctor slightly and greeted him. "Good evening, Sir. We are honored to have you among us once more." 

"And it is good to see you all as well." Cain agreed, "I only wish that it were tidings of joy which brought me here rather than these ill happenings." 

"Of course." Signas said. "But now, what do we do, Doctor? What choice does this leave us?" 

". . . Well." The man said, stroking his white beard in thought. "X go find where Zero is and fight him. Don't worry about what Lifesaver said, you won't need to destroy him, I promise. But we need to keep him away from civilians before anyone else gets hurt. I'll stay here with my colleagues and Lifesaver and we'll work on finding out a way to undo this." 

"Alright." X nodded, "I'll go right away, Sir!" 

Cain and Signas watched as the blue armored Hunter dashed from the room his energy and spirit renewed. And Cain shook his head sadly, "This may be difficult, Signas, my friend." He said softly. "Zero is an amazingly powerful reploid, I doubt that X could destroy him even if it came down to that. Which is precisely why we must make sure it does not. And I would never wish to put such a burden on either of their shoulders. They may have the bodies of young men, but in many ways I think X is still very much the child and Zero is his idol, and his family. His older brother." 

Signas was silent for a moment thinking of that, then he turned to Lifesaver, "What an unspeakably cruel thing you have done, and you are a healer! You should be plagued by shame but there is no time now, you must help Dr. Cain find a remedy for what you've done." 

"And why should I?" Lifesaver asked nervously. "Why should I help save that monster?" 

"Because . . ." Signas drew a blaster from his side menacingly. "Because you don't want to make me any angrier today . . ."   
  


* * * * * 

Pain. Searing pain. Only that. Flooded his mind. Blurred his sensors. Red. Flickering. Flash. He groaned and fell to the ground. What was it? The searing heat that tore through the back of his mind and blinded him. He knew there was dirt and grit beneath his hands, his knees, but he could hardly feel it through the red veil that stung throughout his body. He was shaking. If he let it drown him again . . . 

The visions of the terrified civilians as his own saber tore through them haunted his mind, resurfacing and fading as though they were carried on water. Oh why . . . . . 

Zero moaned, he held his head in his hands, it hurt. Why? He wasn't Maverick? 

Or was he? Was he going Maverick? There had never been pain before . . . He screamed, something, someone was burrowing into his mind, it wouldn't leave him alone. 

"Zero?" A voice asked, it seemed to come from far away, it was hazy and difficult to hear. But it was familiar, if only he could think--   
  


"Zero?" X asked again, horrified at the sight of his best friend writhing in pain on the ground. "Zero? Are you trying to fight the virus?" 

Sharply the robot stopped shaking, and rose, his eyes were still that different--possessed look. He laughed. "So you want to fight me?" He asked. 

"N-No, no I don't want to fight you at all, Zero!" X cried. 

"Really? Well I find it hard to believe you'll just stand there as I destroy this city." 

"You wouldn't do that!" X told him. 

"Oh . . . are you quite sure about that?" Zero asked, he drew his saber. 

"Zero . . . please, fight the virus!" X pleaded, "I know you can do it!" 

Zero laughed, he swung his saber at X so swiftly the other had no time to move or defend himself. There was a horrible burning pain in his left shoulder. He slowly turned his gaze to it, the cut had gone in deep enough to create a serious wound, not deep enough to severe it this time however. "Zero . . ." 

"What? Do you think I would hesitate to kill you? Always trying to be such a little do-gooder, I'll put your miserable existence to an end!" He swung the saber around and thrust it through his right shoulder. 

X screamed in pain and clutched his shoulder, he stumbled backwards. "Please, Zero!" 

"Oh I won't kill you... quickly!" Zero continued, as though not hearing him, "I'll make sure you suffer." He smirked cruelly, and raised the saber again. 

"Zero, your my best friend, we've fought side by side so many times--don't make us fight against each other now!" X cried. 

A strange thing happened. Zero's saber stopped an inch from X's armor, wavering there, Zero's eyes seemed to waver. The reploid stepped backwards blindly and collapsed to his knees with a cry of pain. 

"Zero?!" X shouted, he ran to his friend's side and touched his shoulder. "Zero are you alright?!" 

Another burst of pain, this time through his side, X's eyes opened wide in disbelief. "Zero, why . . .?" 

The red armored robot laughed, he grabbed X around the neck and tossed him--almost effortlessly--into a near by condemned building. It collapsed as he struck it. 

Zero smirked and moved towards the ruble slowly, he didn't need to run--he knew his prey wasn't going anywhere. Stop it! A voice screamed in the back of his head. Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! The reploid's foot faltered and he stood still for a full moment, his mind a great turmoil. His hands shaking went up to his helmet instinctively. He shook away that inner voice, that annoyance. 

Approaching the vast heap of ruble--the dust rising still thick--he lifted a large piece with one hand easily and tossed it back. Then another. Another. Until finally the crumpled heap of a blue armored Maverick Hunter was uncovered. His eyes narrowed. "Now I'll end this." He raised his own Buster and charged it to a full blast. 

X lay in the rubble, his entire body hurt, he couldn't move. He knew that Zero was standing over him and that it might be the end. How could he? No, it wasn't Zero. He reminded himself. It looked like Zero, but it wasn't, it was whatever Lifesaver had programmed into the virus that was acting, not Zero at all. And Zero wouldn't want him to give up and die so easily. 

Resolved, he felt around desperately, the reploid which was once Zero was charging his buster, he knew, he only had a second . . . he felt it, a large piece of a brick, and curled his fingers around it. One shot. 

X flung the brick at Zero, the surprised reploid dropped his guard for a split second, and X leapt up and over his head, away from the rubble and kicked him in the back. He couldn't help it, he held back. 

Zero staggered slightly, but didn't fall. "Oh you've decided to fight back have you? Well this will get more interesting. I might actually have to try." 

"Zero . . . no you're not Zero!" X swung his buster out and fired a charged blast. 

His target leapt easily to the side and swung his saber at him, X dodged it and fired again. This time he hit Zero's arm, the robot clutched his arm angrily. "Dumb luck." He muttered. 

Zero leapt over X again and kicked his knees out. He shot X right in the chest with his buster and then struck him in the face. X fell backwards, he slumped against the pavement. Zero kicked him. "Come on, fight back!" 

X picked himself up, his entire body was shaking now, he'd never faced such a difficult battle before. He fired again, but he was shaking and the shot missed, it barely grazed off of Zero's helmet--he did not even flinch. 

"This will be fun." He raised his saber as though to thrust it through X's chest but as he followed through, he seemed to change his mind and shoved it roughly through the reploid's shoulder instead. X screamed as the pain shot through him. He knew that he was crying now. 

Zero punched him in the face again, and again, he laughed and kicked X's stomach, the reploid fell back again and moaned in pain. "Goodbye, X." Zero raised his saber above his head in an almost ceremonial fashion and pointed it towards X. "It's over."   
  


To be continued . . .   
  


Author's Note (Again!): Well this was a strange chapter. Sorry to Lifesaver fans but he was always kinda suspicious of Zero and didn't seem to like him. He did warn Signas about him in X 5. Maybe it was to ooc tho'. Oh well. I always wanted to write Lifesaver in as a bad kinda messed up character. 


	7. The Unexpected Fight!

ZERO 

Chapter 7 

Fan Fiction by Senya 

twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com   
  


Disclaimer: All characters copyright by CAPCOM, I did not create them, nor do I own them. The exception is May, whom I did create. 

Author's Note: Thanks to Lotus for giving me the idea of May using her powers as part-Reploid to fight ^_^.   
  


"Stop it!!" Yelled a voice suddenly. The saber halted abruptly a scarce inch from X's throat. "Stop it! Stop it!! Stop it!!" Zero's eye twitched involuntarily, he slowly turned his gaze to the left to see who was yelling at them. 

X, too, struggled and turned his head as far as he could to their left. 

It was May Mistweaver--May Wily--scrambling up the jagged pieces of smouldering ruble towards them. She fell and landed on her hands and knees only a few feet from where Zero stood with his Z saber posed to sever X's head. "Stop it! You fool!" She cried in a voice filled with pain. "STOP IT NOW!!" 

Silence for a long moment descended upon the three figures. Then laughter broke it, hideous, heartless laughter. Zero's laughter. "And what are you going to do about it if I don't?" He turned his Z saber in her direction. 

"Zero . . . don't . . ." X moaned from where he lay on the ground, to wounded to move. 

"Shut up." Zero kicked him in the side, X groaned in pain. 

"Stop it now! This isn't you! Even if I didn't like you--I can't bear to see you this way!" Tears streaked down her face. "How can you act this way?!" 

"May . . . get back . . . it's not Zero . . . he's been in--infected . . . a virus . . ." X choked. 

Zero smirked. "It doesn't really matter if she runs away or not, X, I'm going to kill her when I kill everyone else in this city--in this world! But perhaps . . . I'll take a little longer . . .to kill her." He smirked evilly. 

* 

"Damn it Lifesaver-- what the hell did you put in that virus?!" Signas asked, at the Maverick Hunters Head Quarters as they listened in on the conversation through micro-transmitters on X and Zero's armor. 

Lifesaver was silent. 

Dr. Cain ran a hand over his temples wearily. "Come now, it is imperative that we find a way to counter-act this virus as soon as possible! Stop bickering we have much work to do!" 

"But Zero . . . Zero's acting so--so--" Alia stuttered off. 

"It's the virus." Douglas reminded her, "It's screwin' up his entire main frame. We have GOT to come up with something now, guys!" 

"Yes, yes," Dr. Cain agreed, "Indeed we do . . . indeed we do . . ." 

* 

X was to hurt to move, everything ached and stung, and his eyes were fogged with tears. He tried to desperately to blink them away to make out what was happening. He helplessly watched the maddened Zero move towards May, his Z saber drawn, a crazed look in his eyes. "God, Zero, fight it!" He said in a hoarse whisper. "Fight it!" 

The blue reploid's heart froze for a second as the saber tore through the air towards May but his eyes widened in disbelief as the slim female figure leapt into the air and flipped easily over the blow, dodging it completely. 

"Impossible!" Zero gasped, "No one's fast enough to--" 

A severe kick delivered to his jaw however silenced him as both Maverick Hunters stared dumb-foundedly as Zero fell backwards several feet and actually raised a hand to his jaw as though it hurt. It did. "What the hell. . .?" 

May however seemed as surprised as they were, she stumbled back from Zero and caught her breath, "Oh my goodness. . . I--I never kicked anyone before--" 

* 

"Amazing!" Dr. Cain mused as they continued to monitor the conversation, "It sounds as though this May person was able to deliver a slightly damaging blow to Zero! Absolutely amazing!" 

Lifesaver looked up from where he was working, two armed Hunters pointing their busters at his head. He snorted, "Heh, doesn't matter, you think that weak little girl can hurt him?" 

"What the hell is your problem?!" Douglas suddenly exploded, startling everyone, "Do you WANT Zero to come in here and kill us all?! Including you?!" 

Lifesaver's smiled faded, he turned back to his work. 

"Listen," Dr. Cain said, "Alia, can you have a chopper fly over there and rescue May and X, with X badly hurt they can't do much. We need to repair him. And I want to meet this May person . . ." 

"Yes, Sir." Alia replied. 

* 

May brushed her hair out of her face, Zero had gotten over his shock and was charging at her, full force. Her heart was racing inside of her chest. Her mind had drawn a blank. Her throat seemed to swell up. 

"May . . . you have to . . . fight." X breathed from the ground, she knelt beside him. 

"I don't know how to do that!" She protested. 

"You don't have . . . a choice!" X gasped. 

Zero was almost on top of her now, he swung his saber madly, suddenly May dodged, she somersaulted backwards swiftly and flipped to her feet, at the same time delivering a harsh kick to his mid-section. Zero grunted and stepped backwards. 

"You don't know how to fight . . . eh?" X wheezed, it was becoming painful to breathe, he smiled at her assuredly from the ground. "I think . . . your body . . . does." 

He was right. She could not have explained it, yet it felt as though her body knew how to react, as though there were reflexes and techniques programmed in to her limbs at a sub-conscious level . . . 

That must be it. She knew her best bet was to relax then, but her heart was still pounding rapidly, her hands were covered with sweat. 

Zero, however had noticed the contact she made with X, he smiled cruelly. "Before I finish you, girl, I really should take care of this, first . . ." He took a step towards X. 

"No!" May cried desperately, "You can't kill him! You two are friends! He was with you when you came to my house to find me, don't you remember?!" 

It wasn't any use, he did not appear to hear her, instead he laughed as he neared X. 

Her knees were shaking. Her entire body was trembling with fear. 

For a hundred years she had only wished to have a normal life, to be allowed to die. She had cursed her robotic body. But now . . . suddenly, on this verge of death she was afraid. Very much afraid. But Zero was nearing X, and X was to badly mangled and beaten to move, let alone defend himself. One more blow would do it. One more blow. . . 

She took a deep breath, and closing her eyes, praying that her body would act on it's own once more, flung herself between the two reploids. 

"No!" X cried weakly, but May once again surprised them by easily ducking Zero's swipe with his saber. 

She thrust her fist upwards in a punch and struck Zero in the face, he was to surprised to move out of the way. She spun around and kicked him in the side. Any normal human would have felt their leg bone shatter into a million shards striking Zero's armor. But May was no normal human. She finally realized that. What she was . . . 

Was half human, half reploid. And finally that meant something good. 

Zero swiped at her again, she moved faster than X had ever seen a human--or reploid besides himself and Zero for that matter--move and avoided the blow, slamming Zero in the face again, then the shoulder, she leapt up and spun into him. The robot fell back in shock. 

"Of course . . ." She mused, "They would have designed my body with plans my grand father had, my grand father that made you, there's no reason I wouldn't be as powerful." 

"Ha . . . is that what you think?" Zero sneered, "You don't have any weapons or armor. It's hopeless for you. Stop fighting now and I may grant you a swift death." 

Her eyes narrowed. "Enough of this, Zero! Snap out of it!" She lifted a large piece of ruble from the ground with her new-realized reploid-strength and tossed it towards his head, he dodged. "Wake up!" She screamed, throwing a second piece, "Wake up! Wake up! I KNOW you aren't an evil reploid! My grandfather modeled you off of MY boyfriend! You CAN NOT BE EVIL!!" She screamed and throwing the largest piece yet, smashed it into the side of his head. 

Zero staggered and fell to the ground. X's eyes widened in shock. 

But any relief faded as Zero rose again, slowly, but with a twisted smirk on his face. Faster than any of them could have seen he flung his saber through the air, there was no time to move, or even to scream, the next thing May knew it was sticking out of her right shoulder. She stared at the handle and the long green glow of the saber. Strangely her arm felt numb for what seemed like a long time. 

Then a horrible, searing pain tore through her, it was like fire erupting and spreading through her body, she heard herself scream horribly but the world was swaying and it seemed lucid and heavy. 

X watched in horror as May collapsed, black oil and red blood spilling from her arm and running across the ground. She screamed terribly, the sound sent chills through his body, it was the most horrible sound he'd ever heard. She screamed and screamed in pain, Zero was unfazed, he didn't even blink, he didn't seem to care at all. 

Then a slow smile spread over his face, his eyes flashed sadistically. 

"You . . ." X gasped, the pain was paralyzing his body almost entirely but suddenly a rage he had been incapable of feeling before for Zero overcame him and he struggled to his knees. "You BASTARD!!!" Using all of his remaining strength X forced a shot from his X Buster with all of his might. 

It struck Zero dead on and the Reploid--Maverick--fell backwards with a terrified and shocked expression, clutching his chest. He fell to the ground, smoke rising from the wound and oil spewing from it. X fell back again, tears ran down his face as he continued to listen to the girl screaming in agony beside him. Then terror filled him again, the figure of Zero moved again. Again he rose, but the fear receded from X as Zero turned, clutching the wound X's weapon had given him, and leaped away from them, over the ruble and out of sight. 

A moment latter the sound of a helicopter roared above May's fading screams and X's world faded softly into silence and black. 


	8. Signas Fights!

ZERO 

Chapter 8 

Signas Fights Back 

Senya Starseeker 

twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com 

A/N: I know you're all thinking . . . finally an update!! But really it's only been, what, three months or so? *sweatdrop* Seriously I am soooo sorry to everyone reading this, but I really have not had any time! I'm surprised I'm even able to be writing this now! And also I must find time to write the next chappy of my other Megaman fanfics 'Time Loop' and 'My Maverick Lover' sniff! I have no time! The world isn't fair!!   
  


"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!" Cain gasped as the nurses frantically wheeled in two figures. Each horribly battered. First of all was X, the wounds and fractures to his body were astounding, considering this was a reploid who had saved the world and bested Sigma on more than one occasion. Cain knew that he would have to be repaired instantly before permanent stress-damage set in. 

But what had truly amazed the aged professor and caused him to exclaim was not X, but the second figure, the female. She was unmistakably human, not reploid. Yet the wound to her shoulder revealed protruding wires and fractured thin metal tubes and rods. They broke through the human flesh in a mess of blood and oil. 

"I don't believe it . . ." He murmured, leaning over and examining the wound. "A true cyber-organic . .. " He was so lost in thought that he was not even aware of the medical reploids slicing away May's clothes in sections to treat her wounds. 

But what they saw was amazing. In small areas across her body wires and hints of metal showed through under the skin and were clearly visible. Over her heart was a large metal plate interconnected with her flesh. 

"Cain, Sir . . ." Murmured one of the nurses. "I . . . I don't think we can deal with this . . . it is a foreign system to us. We would not be apt to deal with the human aspects of her anatomy." 

"I . . . I know." Dr. Cain sighed. "I know. We should have alerted the human paramedics. Call a human doctor right away, but do what you can to stop the blood--oil--both of it. And you," He directed another reploid. "Get to work immediately on X." 

Lifesaver, however was already on the job, "My god . . . these wounds. . . they're so terrible!" He murmured. "We need to preform an emergency override to his back-up life support systems!" 

In a flash the room suddenly went dark. 

"A power shortage?!" Lifesaver exclaimed, "At a time like this?!" 

"It couldn't . . . just be that." Signas told them quietly. "Be on your guard, everyone." 

Suddenly the observatory window behind them smashed. Reflexively, all of the figures spun around. Glass had shattered across the floor and lay glittering in tiny shards. Standing were the window had once been, silhouetted against the light of the moon, stood Zero Omega. 

"Zero?!" Dr. Cain cried, "W-what are you doing here?!" 

"What do you want?" Lifesaver asked, his eyes narrowing. 

The former Maverick Hunter remained silent, still . . . Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face. There was nothing Cain like about that smile. 

"My dear Dr. Cain," Zero began, droll, in a voice dripping with sarcasm, he slowly spun the Z-saber around with a flick of his wrist, and cassually eyed their group. "How nice it is to see you again." 

"Zero--"Cain began, but was cut off by Signas, who stood between them. 

"Dr. Cain, Sir, get back! Get the wounded out of here, now!!" 

"But Signas--!" Alia gasped. 

"But nothing--GO NOW! I'll hold off Zero!" 

"Ha ha ha ha . . . ." Zero laughed dryly. "YOU hold off ME? Really? Is that what you think? However . . . I will be kind enough to give you a chance to prove to your friends what an utter weakling you are. So . . . go ahead, run if you like. As soon as I'm done killing your leader I'll just come after you again." 

Signas ground his jaw, his brow creased stressfully. "GO! NOW!" He repeated. 

"Alright . . ." Cain nodded slowly, he motioned to the others and they hurriedly filed out through the doors. 

"You know what you're doing is just SO pointless . . . or are you trying for the 'tragic-hero-sacrifices-himself-to-save-his-troops' thing? Whatever it is, it's pathetic, truly." Zero taunted, his emerald eyes sparkling with amusement. 

"Zero . . .I don't want to fight you!" Signas said. 

"Well, of course not. I mean, it's not like I'm going to grant you a painless death, after all." A twisted smile crossed Zero's face. 

Signas growled low in his chest, "So be it!" He lunged towards Zero, his former greatest Hunter, now his most dangerous enemy, and placed all of his strength into the blow, he knew it would be fatal to hold back now. "Forgive me, Zero!" He screamed as his fist smashed into something, shattering it. 

". . . For what. . . ?" A voice asked cooly. 

"W--what the hell?!" Signas opened his eyes, his fist had collided with the metal wall, which had broken and splintered from the force. Pain suddenly ran through his hand and arm, which were now stuck in the wall. He cried out in pain. "You dodged me?! That's--that's not possible!" He cried, desperately craning his neck around to get a look at the Maverick. His eyes found Zero, standing calmly, illuminated by the light of the moon, his long golden hair billowing out softly behind him like a grand cape. His saber was drawn, and the red glow reflected in the millions of glass shards under his feet. It would have been beautiful, and it was, but doom and death hung in the air, Signas could feel them. 

"Z--Zero . . ." Signas gasped in pain, pulling his hand from the wall. 

The figure of Zero only chuckled, "You truly have no IDEA what my body is capable of, do you?" 

Signas fought back a sudden fear inside of him, it was true that Zero's and X's programming were complete mysteries. He DIDN'T know what they were capable of. What sort of power might reside within them. 

"After all . . . how many reploids are there that beat Signas, come back from the dead, and crush entire buildings?" 

"ENOUGH!" Signas screamed angrily, "This ends NOW, Zero!" He charged his own buster and fired at Zero, the Maverick dodged, seemingly effortlessly. 

"You're right, Signas, it does." Zero said softly, he through his Z-saber into the air, Signas saw it tearing swiftly towards him, all it took was a split second. 

A horrible blinding pain shot through Signas chest, it was worse than anything he could ever remember feeling before. It blotted out his visual censors and his audio sensors for several seconds, it flooded his entire system and rang throughout his being. It overloaded his mind, he was not even aware that he had fallen to the ground until he opened his eyes to see Zero standing overtop of him. 

"Ugh . . ." He groaned, the youngest commanding officer of the Maverick Hunters, possibly, some said, the greatest Reploid ever built, with unsurpassed potential. Zero grasped the end of the Z-Saber. He pulled it out, and lifted it above the general for the finishing blow. The greatest reploid ever built, no more. 

Before Zero brought the saber down, the young general fought back all of the pain as much as he could bear, and looked to the surveillance camera above them in the corner, were he knew the others were watching. "Do not give up! X you are still our strongest Hunter, our greatest hope! You can succeed, Zero's programming may surpass all of ours, but remember that yours does to!" 

There wasn't time for anything more. The saber came down in one glistening ark, and the horrible pain in Signas' chest ended. 

* 

Alia muffled a quiet scream as they watched the surveillance tape from the helicopter. She turned away, tears streaking down her face. Douglas placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner, and she buried her head in his shoulder. Cain looked away gravely, as the figure on the monitor brought the shining saber down on the wounded and battered, but defiant, and brave, young general. Horrible quietness followed, and then a sickening thump. 

X and May were on a separate helicopter, being repaired, they would not have to watch the horrible scene. Cain shuddered. The other reploids in the aircraft had begun to weep solemnly for their fallen leader. But the gruesome scene continued, Zero didn't stop with severing their leader's head. Cain closed his eyes, Alia continued to scream and cry quietly against Douglas' chest, but Douglas watched the scene soberly, solemnly, the details etching themselves into his mind. 

Zero dug his fingers into Signas' chest plate and yanked it off roughly, tossing it away. He began to rip out the internal wires and systems, in a mess of oil and sparking tubes and frames. Like a hungry animal devouring his pray, Zero tore through the mangled mess of what had once been a proud Hunter. Until he found what he had been looking for, the glowing sphere lodged deep within Signas' chest, the matrix, the life source, the chip containing Signas' emotions, personality, memories, the very core of his being--and he held it up, and crushed it. 

And he laughed. It was the most hideous sound any of them had ever heard. 

"His memory chip, his personality . . . it's all. . ." Douglas said sadly, "It's done, he's gone, Signas is dead." 

"Oh god . . ." Alia gasped between sobs. "What are we going to do now?!" 

"We are going . . ." Cain told them gravely, "To repair X and May, and we are going to have them KILL ZERO OMEGA once and for all!" 


	9. Roses

ZERO 

Fan Fiction by Senya 

twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com 

Disclaimer: Dynamo, Reploids, Mavericks, Maverick Hunters, etc, etc, belong to CAPCOM, I belong to me, and May is an original chara of mine.   
  


A/N: Ooookay. So, here's what's going on with this chapter: this is my recently removed 'My Maverick Lover' Fanfic because I've decided I want the two fics to go together into one really long fic, okay? For those who didn't read my 'Maverick Lover' fic, it's mostly a piece of romantic fluff for now. So this is kind of "taking a break" from the events revolving around X, Zero, and the Maverick Hunters. Don't worry it's only for one little chapter!! In Chapter 10 we will be back to X and the gang, but for now.........   
  


Chapter 9   
  


Senya sighed and slid into the small apartment, dropping her bag of papers and student work to the floor with a thud. "Oh what a day, Neko-chan . . ." She sighed to the orange cat that greeted her, "My Grade 11s "couldn't find" thier essays, not one of the twenty five of them! Sometimes I wonder why I came here anyway, I mean I loved teaching English in Japan last year, and I did just go home and visit everyone in Canada, but really, here I am stuck smack dab between the Maverick Hunters' HQ and the human city Cameo, and Reploids and humans never--NEVER--get along! I'll admit that usually it is us humans that are the jerks but honest to--" She blinked when she noticed the cat had abandoned thier conversation and she was quite literally talking to a wall. 

"Great," She muttered, "Just great, I just began my teaching career two years ago and I'm already talking to myself. Hell, I need some friends here. . . 'course it's not like I ever had a whole lot up North, either. Well, one." She paused and found the cat, putting it on her lap as she plopped down on to the couch and flicked on the television, "I'd give her a call if she weren't busy blowing up buildings for Hollywood." Senya smiled at the thought of her best friend with a pack of explosives. /That/ would be dangerous! 

She shut her placid green eyes and ran her hands through her thick wavy brown hair irritadledly, "I am talking to myself." 

The cat meowed as though in protest but she knew it really wanted food, and so did it's brother. "Fine," She grumbled, pushed it off of her lap and grabbed a can of cat food from the kitchen cabinet, scooping the foul-smelling contents into two bowls, the orange and the brown cats each pouned on it immediatly. 

Senya shook her head and headed towards the bedroom, "To the untrained observer it would seem as though you two had missed me. But I know a few more mice in this place would make you care a lot less. I guess I'll just change and then I'll join you, it's already six anyways . . ." She said to the cats, opening her bedroom door while begining to unbutton her blouse. 

The second the door slid open she gasped and actually jumped backwards. It took a /lot/ to get that sort of reaction out of Senya Starseeker, but her entire bed was covered from top to bottom in roses. Roses, all fresh and fully in bloom, and they covered the bed so completely that the top of the sheets and the pillows were invisible. She shut the door. 

She blinked, rubbed her eyes and looked again. 

Still there. 

"Man . . ." Senya ran a hand through the thick waves of hair above her shoulder and tugged at it, like always when she was nervous. She only knew *one* person nuts enough to do something like /that/ and if he had than he was probably still /there/. Slowly she entered the room and moved towards the bed, "They're /real/ . . ." She murmured, lifiting one up, in fact they still had beads of water on the pettles. 

"IKNEW you would like it. . ." A low voice murmured, as a hand slid around her waist. 

"Dynamo." She said, "I must figure out what you've done with the apartments security system." She said, but she never would bother and they *both* knew it. 

"What you don't enjoy my company?" Dynamo chuckled, playfully biting her ear. 

"Hrm. . ." Senya pushed away from him and turned around to get a good look at the mercenary. 

"Besides," He laughed, "I didn't know you talked to yourself, Sen." 

Senya bit her lip and felt her cheeks flush red. Wait a minute she told herself, this is just Dynamo, I need to lighten up. She laughed. 

"What?" He raised an eyebrow. 

"Well, my grandmother always said, talking to yourself is okay as long as you don't hear a reply!" 

He smiled, "Some of us /like/ the voices." He said and started laughing. 

"You sound like a friend of mine." Senya said, laughing as well. 

Dynamo flung his arms around her and pressed her down on to the bed with him. The smell of crushed rose petals immediatly filled the air, and she noted that the had all been de-stemmed. "You cut all the stems off." She noted aloud. 

"Mm, I didn't think you would want a barrage of thorns digging into your back." He smiled, kssing her neck. She couldn't actually *see* his face by this point but she just *knew* he was smiling. And not because Dynamo was *always* smiling, either. 

"Didn't that take you a long time?" She asked. 

"So?" He chuckled, "It's not like I had anything better to do. Some of us prefer not to waste our time doing work." He said the last word as though it were some horrible torture worse than death. 

Senya started laughing. 

"Geez is it ever easy to get you laughing." 

"Look whose talking, king of grins!" Senya laughed, throwing a handfull of red petals into his face, Dynamo rolled off of her, laughing and sat up. 

"Maybe." He said. "Maybe." There were already a ton of petals stuck in his hair. She leaned forwards to pick on out but decided to kiss his cheek quickly instead. One of his hands went up behind her hand and pulled her close to him, kissing her mouth hungrily. 

Suddenly Senya began giggling nervously, Dynamo released her and shook his head, "Honestly I never thought that *I* would be the one to say this but, Senya, do you /have/ to laugh like a maniac /every/ time we kiss?" 

"I can't help it!" She protested, "It feels funny, kissing a Reploid!" 

"Well maybe *I* think it feels funny kissing a human!" Dynamo said, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Besides, I'm a Maverick, not a Reploid." 

"I know, that's why we can't go public. Imagine that! A high school teacher dating a Maverick! And just down the street from Maverick Hunter HQ, too!" She laughed. 

"Ah, and that is what makes it so purrrrfectly delicious!" Dynamo purred,pulling her close again. "Plus my other fifty or so girlfriends don't need to find out about you!" 

Senya just laughed. 

"I was serious." He grinned. 

"I don't doubt that!" She cried, laughing so hysterically he let go of her and she fell back against the petal-covered bed in a fit. 

"God, you are the strangest woman--human or otherwise--hell, you are the strangest *anything* I have /ever/ met!" Dynamo grinned, "And that must be why I find you so damn irresistable!" He moved on top of her but she rolled away and sat up, brushing some of the petals from her hair--a hard job giving how much and how thick her hair was. 

"Okay I have a question." She said, sturggling to keep a straight face. 

"Shoot." He sighed, tossing a few petals at her. 

"Why is it some Reploids are built to look like they're, like, seventy, when you know they were /just/ made two weeks ago, and other Reploids are, like, forty, and are built like a ten year old?" 

Dynamo through his hands up in the air and fell backwards off of the bed. "I don't know!!" He started laughing from the ground. "And here I thought you were going to be serious!" 

"Okay, okay, seriously. . . .um . . . ." 

"You're a teacher for cripes sake, can't you think of *one* good question for me?" Dynamo teased. 

"Oooookaaay. . . . how's this: how many roses did you go through here, D?" 

"Mmmm . . . ." He shrugged, "Twelve dozen." 

"Twelve . . . you don't mean . . . twelve sets of a dozen?" Senya blinked. 

"Yep I sure do." 

"Twelve sets of twelve?" 

"That is what a dozen is, O beneveolent school teacher." Dynamo laughed. 

"But that's--that's--" 

"A lot of roses to cut the stem off of, I know, I was here all day, you should get cable." 

"I mean that's a LOT OF MONEY!" Senya gasped. 

Dynamo started laughing. 

"W--What?" 

He was laughing harder, she peeked over the edge of the bed, he was laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes and he was struggling to sit up. "M--m--money?!?!" He sputtered, holding his ribs, "Money?!" 

Senya blinked, and realized her mistake. "Oh . . . . ." She dug a pillow out of the mess of petals and tossed it at him. "Stealing is WRONG!" She laughed. 

"So is sleeping with a Maverick instead of grading your Grade 12 Art Classes' major projects." Dynamo teased. 

"Oh? Never thought I'd hear that coming from /you./ All work and no play spoils the broth, y'know. And as for that 'sleeping with. . .' part I never said you were scoring." Senya said. 

"I'll pout." 

"Go for it." 

Dynamo shot her a look that said plain as day 'you asked for it' and sat on the edge of her bed with his arms crossed over his chest and his lower lip stuck out giving her the largest puppy dog eyes known to history. Of course since she burst out laughing and hit him in the face with a pillow it didn't last all that long. 

He tossed the pillow back at her and she flew off the bed landing with a thud on the floor. 

"Shoot. Sorry, Seni." Dynamo called softly, leaning over the edge of the bed. 

"Ouch . . . weak . . .human . . . flesh . . ." Senya groaned from the floor. "Not equipped . . . to take force . . . of Reploid-thrown projectile . . ." 

". . . the pillow?" 

". . . I think I need a trauma team . . . call an emergency ambulance . . . ." She started laughing again, from the floor. 

"Damn you are one crazy lady." Dynamo shook his head, grinning, he scooped her up in his arms and back on to the bed. 

"Mmmmm . . . I like your hair, Dynamo." She said, giving the long whiteish-greyish hair a good hard tug. 

"Man, did someone spike your drink at work or what?" Dynamo laughed, kissing her nose. "And you can forget about getting me back, that doesn't hurt." 

". . . . dang." She kissed him. "Well, I'll find your weak spot sooner or later, D." 

He just chuckled. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Author's Note: Well I guess this was boring to anyone who's already read this when it was a separate fic, but that's why I'm posting Chapter 10 at the same time, in the next chapter we return to a very distressed X, May, and Dr. Cain...... 

Oh yea, for the record, I'm not *really* a teacher, in six or seven years maybe, but no, not now. And I'm not *really* Dynamo's girlfriend....but that's kind obvious....*sniff*. Was he in character? I had a hard time trying to make it seem like Dynamo, only in a romantic situation, so if you can give me any pointers for future chappies, go right ahead!! 

Dynamo's Note: . . . . . . 'future chapters . . .?' Uh oh. Haven't you done enough damage to my sensitive character? 

Senya: Not by a long shot my friend . . . . ho ho ho ho ho . . . 

Dynamo: I don't like that laugh . . . 

X: Why weren't the main characters here!! Come on Zero's insane and all you're doing is inserting yourself into Zero's fic and--- 

Senya: **hits X in the back of the head** X, shut up, it's my fic, after all :P besides, you get the entire next chapter all to yourself. 

May: And me. 

Senya: And her. And insane Zero. 

Dr. Cain: You guys do know this Author's note is really long and annoying, so maybe you should just get on to the next chapter now so people can actually find out what's happening with the main plot...... 

Senya:....oh yeah.... here we go, next chapter!!!!   
  


  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. The Unthinkable Mission

ZERO 

Chapter 10 

The Unthinkable Mission 

Senya Starseeker 

twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com 

A/N:Here we go, I'm posting it before you can all complain about the nonsense which was Chapter 9 (but it will all tie in together in the next chapter, really) ANYWAYS, on with the show . . .( So to speak) . . .   
  


X groaned, his head hurt, his arms hurt, his legs were numb, and his entire chest . . .hell, everything hurt. He forced his eyes open, squinting and blinking against the painfully bright white lights over his head. "You're awake." An elderly, friendly voice said softly. X tried to move his head, but he couldn't, it was a ton of bricks. 

"Don't try to move right now." The voice of Dr. Cain continued, "Your internal systems are still under heavy repair. You're lucky you're recovering as well as you are. We were worried the trauma to your systems would cause a memory or a personality rupture, but all of your systems seem to be recovering quiet nicely." 

"Ugh . . . Dr. Cain . . .?" X groaned, barely hearing the words Cain had told him. Everything was blurry and hazy. Slowly he began to remember the past events, the battle with Zero, and May screaming in pain . . . 

"Yes, X?" Cain asked gravely. 

"M--May, is she alright?" X asked. 

"Yes." Cain nodded, "She's resting in a bed beside yours, actually. They finished repairing her wounds, and she's sleeping peacefully now." 

"I'm glad." X said quietly. 

"I know." Cain said, and he was nodding slowly, although X could not see that. 

"X . . . You know that Zero has been corrupted by a virus." Cain continued. 

"Yes . . . a virus made by Lifesaver, it's damaged his personality and . . . he's completely mad." X said in a whisper. 

The doctor was silent for several moments then, he could see the pain in the young Reploid's face, it was pain from his heart, not his body. It was deep and horrible, and Cain dreaded the next words he had to speak, but he thought of Zero's awesome powers, and of what had happened to noble Signas, and knew that there were no more options available to him. "X. . ." He said slowly, choosing his words with care, "How would you like a partner?" 

"I have a partner." X said automatically, then remembered Zero was no longer a Hunter. He was a Maverick, or if not a Maverick, something even worse. 

"X. . . We have to face the reality that Zero is an extremely powerful Reploid, he is capable of vast amounts of destruction, infact, I believe that he could destroy this entire planet, if he wanted to badly enough." 

X was silent. He had always known Zero was stronger than he was, incredibly strong. 

"And . . . now he is no longer on our side," Dr. Cain continued soberly, "He is a threat to humanity, to all peace-loving Reploids." 

"I know! I know that, doctor, but . . ." X struggled weakly, "But . . . we can help him, it's a virus, the virus that Lifesaver made that's doing this, it isn't Zero himself! You talk as though it were Zero hurting people but it's not! If I or Signas had taken that injection wouldn't we be doing the exact same things?!" 

This time it was Cain's turn to be silent, he could see that X was suffering, he knew that the mental anguish was great, and would one day take it's toll on the Reploid. He dreaded that day. But, not now! The aged doctor hardened his emotions, they had a job that needed to be done. "X, Signas is dead." He said bluntly, flatly. 

X suddenly stopped, his green eyes widened in shock, "Wh--why . . .?" 

"Do you know what happened? Zero killed him. Destroyed his life-matrix. He will never be repaired, and is lost forever. Zero has no more emotions, no more feelings, he is a soulless, thoughtless, demon! X we can not allow him to kill anyone else. We have to face the fact that he can not be cured, and therefore he must be killed!" 

Dead silence descended upon the small room. 

The last words of Cain's speech echoed quietly off of the walls and through the Maverick Hunter's mind. '....he must be killed!" He could not respond. He found he could not even think properly. It was to much--to much! How dare Cain ask him to kill his friend, his closest friend, his partner, Zero! Zero was not evil, he had proven that countless times, he had beaten Sigma when no one else could, he had sacrificed himself before to save all of them! "No." X said finally in a quiet voice, a weak voice. "No." He was shaken terribly, he could not accept what was happening, and blinked his eyes furiously to hold back tears, hands shaking. "No. No. No. No matter what you say--NO!!" X shouted, taking every ounce of strength in his body to throw his body into a sitting position and screaming the last word at Dr. Cain's face. 

Dr. Cain was stunned for a moment, he looked at X for a time, blinking slowly, then shook his head, "Are you going to be responsible for the lives of innocent civilians that Zero takes now, X? And do you think the Zero you know would want you to let this him destroy the world he was willing to die to protect?" With that the man turned and left. 

X, exhausted physically and mentally fell back on to the bed, his chest heaving painfully. He had never before been so unmannered towards the doctor, he had certainly never yelled in his face before. But he could not accept it. He could not accept that he had to kill his best friend. There had to be another way, everything had an anti-thesis, everything! There had to be a cure! X felt his eyes watering as he remembered the crazed look flashing in Zero's eyes as they fought, as he had cruelly struck X and May with his saber . . . Dr. Cain had told him that Zero had killed Signas? How could that be? How could that even be?! 

". . . . Are you alright?" A voice from the side asked quietly. 

It hurt, but X forced his head to turn to the left and saw May lying in a white bed beside his. Her shoulder was heavily bandaged, and she look pale and exhausted, but not to bad, not dead. 

"I--I'm not . . . I don't know . . ." He replied softly. "I just don't know . . ." 

"I heard all that . . . that stuff you guys were talking about." She said calmly. "He wants you to kill Na--Zero, doesn't he?" 

X hesitated, then nodded. 

"I see. . . . well, what's the problem, he's insane, right? Look what he did to us! And that man just said that he killed another Reploid!" 

A sudden anger swept over X, "That's not-- Zero's my friend! My best friend! We've been through so much together, he's always been there for me, always! I won't . . ." He broke off when he realized that his body was shaking. 

May was staring at him with a strange expression, like she was surprised. ". . . .I. . . .I'm so sorry, X. . . ." She said quietly. "I. . . . I just never knew Reploids felt things like that." 

"Well we DO!" He snapped back at her, he knew that he was being childish, but pain was suddenly overbearing within him, and he shut his eyes tightly. Images of an insane Zero killing Signas filled his mind. Cain's words suddenly had an impact on him. ". . . . we do . . . ." He repeated softly, shutting his eyes, and forcing his mind into a sleeping state, he did not want to be awake then, he did not want to be awake. 

******* 

It had been roughly a week, X estimated, from the time when Zero had beaten him and May. He had finished recovering, and so had she. Perhaps surprisingly, Zero seemed to be laying low, the Maverick Hunters hadn't heard anything more from him in that past week, and there hadn't been any sightings whatsoever. 

Now was the day he would have to face Dr. Cain again, he hadn't seen him since their argument, and he didn't want to now. He didn't want to kill Zero. He didn't even want to think about. Couldn't consider it. It was to horrible. To horrible. 

He would fight Zero, of course, to protect innocent people. But kill? No, no, he couldn't--he wouldn't--kill Zero, not ever, not if Dr. Cain or anyone else told him it was their only choice. 

Taking a deep breath, X walked past the sliding metal doors, they had been living in a secret underground back-up Head Quarters since Zero had (as he'd been told be Alia and Douglas) broken into their main Head Quarters and attacked Signas. Signas. He still found it hard to believe that the promising young General was really gone, even with Alia and Douglas' testimonies. 

Dr. Cain greeted him solemnly as he approached. May was already there. "What are you doing here?" X asked. He'd already apologized for yelling at her. When you're stuck in a room, bedridden, with one person for a week you do end up talking to them. 

"She's here because I asked her to be here." Cain answered rather gruffly. 

Something caught X's eye, May was wearing a sleek purple and golden suit with thin lightweight armor over it, armor which displayed the Maverick Hunter's symbol. 

"You're--You're not a . . . .a . . . .." 

"Yes, I'm a Maverick Hunter now, X." May said softly, looking away. "Dr. Cain and the others all wanted me to join. I was made by Dr. Wiley's trainees, after all, and I've proven I can fight Zero. Especially with armor. I can--" 

"But, May . . ." X protested, "It's dangerous . . ." 

"So what? I've been alive for how long now?" She laughed bitterly. "I don't care. It doesn't matter when I die. I have no family left, and no friends. The man I love is dead, and the reploid who looks like him is evil." 

"How can you talk like dying doesn't matter?" X asked, shocked, "There must be someone--there's always someone who would be devastated if you died!" 

"Really? Funny, I guess I never expected to hear that from a Reploid, I mean, you kill others everyday, don't you?" She asked coldly. 

X opened his mouth, but shut it, he hung his head. That was true, he hated that part of their job, he always had hated killing them, even the Mavericks.   
  


He remembered....... 

It was a long time ago, back when he was still new to being a Maverick Hunter . . . They had been patrolling one of the danger sectors, he and Zero, when they'd been ambushed by a group of Mavericks. It was a small group, only about five. They had attacked first, but X had still had trouble fighting them. He's managed to hit one a few times with buster, and it had fallen to it's knees, but when he raised his arm for the kill-shot, he had looked into the Maverick's eyes and seen a life. A violent, twisted life, but still a life, and he hadn't been able to fire. While he had hesitated a second Maverick jumped him, pinning X to the ground with it's long silver claws. X had yelped in pain when the Maverick dug it's claws into his shoulders, cruelly. He had tried to shoot, but couldn't with his arms pinned down. He'd thought it was the end, right there. When suddenly, the Maverick's eyes had widened in alarm, it screeched, and reared back, and X could see there was a glowing saber sticking out of its back. 

It screamed and fell to the ground a few inches from X, dead. Zero had helped him up, and looking around X had realized that Zero had already killed all five of the Mavericks. Just like that. "How can you do that?!" X had asked, forgetting to be thankful, he had suddenly found himself almost angry at his best friend. "How could you kill them like it was nothing?!" 

"X. . ." Zero had said calmly, "It is a war, and people die. They knew that when they chose to attack us. We can't afford to think about ever life we have to take, or we'll crawl into a hole and let them destroy the Earth." 

"I can't think that way!" X cried. 

Zero had seemed like he was going to be angry, but then changed his mind, and instead, gave X one of his rare smiles, "I know. That's what I like about you X. So don't worry about it, I'll always watch your back."   
  


He would not kill Zero. 

"I know why you've summoned me, Dr. Cain." X said slowly, "You want me to help May kill Zero. I won't do that. I can't. He's my friend. So no matter what you say, I won't kill him. Not ever." 

Dr. Cain never had a chance to respond, for at that moment Alia ran into the room, frantic, "Dr. Cain, X, oh thank goodness I found you two!" 

"Alia, what is it?" Dr. Cain asked, turning from X and May. 

"It's the human police, Sir, they're requesting our help. According to them an amazingly powerful red Maverick with long yellow hair has just attacked their local school. They can't get the children and teachers out, the Maverick is amazingly powerful, they need our help." 

"This Maverick . . . . could it be Zero?" May asked. 

"It must be." Cain said softly, he turned to X, his face grave and serious, "So X, what do you say now, will you allow Zero to slay helpless children?! Is that what friendship means to you?!" 

"It can't be . . ." X cried softly, turning away, he couldn't face them. 

In his mind he could see Zero, his friend, they were like brothers. They had always promised to look out for each other. But that Zero would never have harmed innocent children. Now . . . . 

"I'm going." May said decidedly. 

"I am to." X said, lifting his head, and turning back to them. "This is no longer the Zero that I know."   
  


A/N: The next chapter will have action in it I promise!! Oh, thanx so much to Lotus for suggesting for May to become a Maverick Hunter. Now . . . . . please review :) 


	11. Anguish, Violence, Horror

Zero 

Senya Starseeker 

twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com   
  


Chapter 11   
  


A/N: I'm baaaaaaack! Finally I'm getting a chance to write more fanfiction (yay ^_^) I'm so sorry that it takes me forever to update my fics, but school is a real pain in the @$$ these days, I just finished writing a 1500 word essay for Law, and a major project, and History...aaahhhh!!! Well, I'll shut up now and get on with the fic -_-:   
  


Disclaimer: Zero, Dynamo, X, etc, etc, all belong to CAPCOM as you no doubt know. Senya is me, I belong to ME. The other teachers are all my original characters, blah, blah, blah.   
  


WARNING: I feel I have to put a warning on this chapter, it contains extremely violent and disturbing content, that a lot of people might find alarming. Please, please, please take heed of this warning! Please don't read it if you are sensitive to violence in schools. There is also quite a bit of swearing. If anyone thinks I should boost the rating e-mail me or tell me in a review and I will.   
  


"Well now, class." The young brown-haired English teacher began, turning back to her students, it was the last day before the holidays and none of them were really paying attention. "Today we are going to study Shakespeare we'll be looking at a brief overview of his works, the theater groups that lived in his time, the . . ." 

One of the students yawned loudly, and several others tittered and laughed nervously. 

Senya rolled her eyes, it was going to be a long day, she didn't get paid enough. Sighing quietly, she turned to the overhead projector, but the minute she flipped the 'on' switch the screen flickered and went black, then the lights went off. 

"Cool!" Some random student exclaimed, then they all began talking excitedly, like she'd vanished magically in the dark. 

"Oh brother," She muttered, and went to the intercom, pressing the switch, "Marianne." She said the secretary's name into the small speaker, "Marianne what's going on? The power just went out?" 

No response. 

"Marianne?" 

Still no response. 

Senya shook her head, the locks of wavy brown hair swishing from side to side, "Class I'm going across the hall to the machine shop, I bet they blew a fuse again or something."She said, not that her students were paying any attention, and left the room. 

Oddly, the entire hallway was pitch black. "Now that IS odd." She commented, "Even if a powerline went down, what happened to the high school's back-up power?" 

"My thoughts exactly." Came the voice of one of her co-workers. 

"Angel!" Senya exclaimed. 

"Hi." The quiet art teacher replied. "Yes, I came out here after the power went off in my room, and I couldn't contact the office." 

"When we decided to become teachers, I never thought we'd have to deal with these things." Senya said softly. "I'm not sure I want to know what caused this . . ." 

"Oh it's probably nothing!" Angel said cheerily. Angel and Senya had been close friends since grade ten of their own high school careers, and went to teacher's college together, and now were teaching at the same school by some odd twist of fate, as they were both far from their Canadian hometown. 

At that minute several other classroom doors open, and Senya snapped out of her reverie. Other teachers saw them in the dark and walked over. "Is the power out in your rooms too?" The other staff members asked. 

Soon it was determined that the power was out all over the school, and the large metallic sliding doors that blocked their level (level two of three) of the school were completely sealed and not opening, meaning that they were pretty much trapped. To make matters worse no one could contact the office over the intercoms. "Great, this is what I get for working in a futuristic post-modern building." Senya muttered, "This never would have happened when I went to school." 

". . . You sound like an old lady." Angel joked softly. 

Senya laughed, "Probably. Hey, I'm just in my twenties, give me a break!" 

Suddenly a force shook the school roughly, the walls trembled, the entire structure shaking. 

"What the hell?!" The shop teacher, Shawn Kingsley, practically shouted. Now students were coming out of the classrooms as well, a few were frightened, mostly they wanted to know what was going on. 

So did the staff. 

"This is getting ridiculous!" Shawn exclaimed, "Let's try wedging these doors open!" 

"Wait!" Angel cried, "We don't know what's causing the--" 

Another shock ran through the building, it was more violent, standing in the hallway they could hear desks and tables tipping over in their rooms, books falling to the ground, beakers from the science rooms smashing. 

"This is a safety hazard! What's going on?!" Shawn continued, oblivious to the worried looks Angel and Senya exchanged. 

"We need to be cautious." Senya said slowly, "Why don't we try and open the back stairs and sneak down to get a glimpse of what's going on on the first floor." 

Shawn and Angel nodded. "Mr. Kingsley and I are going to try and go and see what the trouble is." Senya informed the large body of students, "Miss Soner, the art teacher, Mr. Klun the math teacher, and Mr. Gar the shop teacher will be here to supervise." With that, they nodded and headed for the back stairs. Surprisingly the students had begun to quiet down a little as the tremors continued to shake the school, it was becoming almost rythmatic actually, Senya thought, and very strange, she liked it not. 

The two teachers reached the emergency staircase, it was sealed off as well ("Nice 'emergency staircase.'" Senya muttered sarcastically), Shawn ignored her and began to pry it open with tools from the shop class. 

"Aren't you going to help?" He asked, struggling with the door. 

"I'm your inspiration." Senya replied with a quick smile, forgetting he couldn't see her in the dark. 

Shawn Kingsley was an older teacher, already in his mid-forties, but he loved his job and she'd never heard him say a bad thing about any of this students or coworkers. 

A particularly violent tremor rocked the building suddenly, Senya fell face first to the ground, and the force jolted the tool in Shawn's hand, causing the door to wedge open slightly. The two teachers stood, shaking slightly. "Um . . . let's go find out what that is." Senya said in a whisper. "Uh . . . you first." 

Creeping down the stairs in the dark proved easier said than down, they were narrow things, (or perhaps the teachers were just unbelievably clumsy) but the two stumbled often, always ready to steady the other. Finally they reached the bottom. "Okay." Shawn took a deep breath. "Here we are." 

The two looked around, the shaking seemed worse at the bottom, they could barely walk. Finally, emerging into the hallway their eyes met a sight which would haunt them until the day they died:   
  


Teachers spend a lot of time with their students, and grow to care for them on any number of levels, and for their coworkers, superiors, and assistants. They become a part of their school's community, and the bond is there. In any case, they have dedicated a part of their lives to being with these people, and so are obliged to help them through life and also protect them. The sight which these two teachers now faced was their worst possible fears and dreads from the depths of their darkest most horrible nightmares, straight from the pits of hell itself. 

Blood streaked the walls. Thick, red, and the stench was overbearing. There was so much blood. It formed pools on the shiny smooth floor. And the bodies. . . there were bodies, bodies of the people they knew, worked with, taught, lying there, in the pools of red blood. They weren't moving. Just lying there, it was a scene from sick twisted movie, from some nightmare, from something to horrible to be true. 

"Oh God . . ." Shawn muttered, he was pale and wide-eyed. Senya wouldn't know, she couldn't even see him, she felt dizzy and weak, and like she was about to faint away into nothing. 

Like in a dream she walked over to one of the bodies, it was a fifteen year old boy she taught in the afternoon, his name was Brad, he hated her class, but he still tried sometimes, he had a lot of friends, a popular, sports kinda guy. 

There was a hole through his chest three times as wide as her fist. His eyes were staring open, blank, expressionless. There was . . . so much blood. 

"B--Brad . . ." She said in a shaky voice. 

Senya was a very calm and laid-back woman, she could take a lot without being fazed. She didn't scream or even cry, really. 

But this just transcended all borders of horror, she wasn't even aware that she was screaming, or that tears were streaking down her face, but Shawn was holding her in his arms and rubbing her back. "We have to get out of here." He said in a quiet voice, "We have to get the others out of here." 

"All of them!! All of them!!" She screamed hysterically. "All the children! The teachers! Marianne--" 

"Come on, we have to get out of here!" Shawn repeated, and then the shaking stopped. The world was suddenly very still. 

Footsteps echoed through the hallway behind them, both teachers spun around quickly. 

There was a reploid standing there, he was tall, about six feet, with long blonde hair tied back in a pony tail and brilliant red armor. "That's Zero!" Shawn exclaimed. 

"A Maverick Hunter!" Senya sobbed, "Oh thank God you're here!! Th--The--the--" 

He smiled. The reploid standing before them smiled. A slow grin spread across his lips. 

Something on his hands suddenly caught Shawn's eye. Red. It sent a shock like electricity through his body. "Senya." He hissed into her ear. 

She was still in shock, and puzzled over why he was smiling like that. 

"Senya!" Shawn repeated, "Get back upstairs, now! Warn the others!" He whispered into her ear. 

"But--but--the Hun--" 

"There's blood on his hands." Shawn whispered into her ear. 

She was standing closer to the stairway than he was. But she suddenly looked so pale and terrified that he was afraid she would really faint. But she did not. Swallowing, she looked one at him, quickly, then began to back towards the staircase softly. 

"Who are you?" Shawn asked. Of course he knew, everyone knew who Zero was, but he was drawing the Hunter--the Maverick's attention away from her. 

She had still been in a massive state of shock, if she hadn't been, she would have realized what Shawn was doing, but then she might not have left him there. 

As soon as she reached the top of the stairs, after stumbling through tears and a thick invisible barrier that seemed to press against her and make her legs feel like jelly there was a sickening blast from the first floor. She almost screamed, she spun around and almost ran back down the stairs to his side. But caught her self. She slammed the metal emergency door at the top of the stairs shut, and fell to the ground sobbing. 

"What is it? Sen?" Angel asked, at her side already, kneeling beside her. 

"What happened?" Other teachers asked, one moved towards the door. 

"DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR!!" She shouted suddenly. 

They all looked at her in shock, students, teachers, all were silent, all were alarmed at the tears running down her face, her pale skin, her trembling collapsed body. She could barely breathe, her head was spinning, she had to tell them-tell them-tell them-- 

". . . Senya?" Angel asked quietly. 

"A--a Maverick." Senya gasped softly, quietly, only Angel heard her. "K-killed everyone--all of them--S--S--Shawn . ." 

"Oh my God." Angel murmured, she stood up, and turned to the other teachers, repeating Senya's words. 

They didn't tell the students, who were now becoming angry and demanding to know what was going on. 

"We obviously have to get out of here." Mr. Gar said gruffly. 

"But how?" Angel asked. "What can we do?" 

"Why not just wait for the Maverick Hunters to show up?" Mr. Klun asked. 

All this the teachers discussed in hushed voices. Except for Senya. She was numb and shaking all over. She could not imagine that Shawn was not downstairs--that he-that he-- the image of the people lying in pools of blood in the hallway with holes in their chests stuck in her mind-- she felt like she was drowning. 

/Let it be a dream. Let it all be a dream!/ She begged, even though she knew it was not. 

Another violent blast shook the building, this time coming from the doorway. He was trying to get in. 

"Everyone get back!" Angel shouted, helping Senya to her feet, the massive crowd began to move back in the long hallway, teachers at the front. 

Now half of the students were downright terrified. "Just stay behind us, it will all be fine!" Mr. Klun kept repeating in a voice to quiet for the students to even hear. 

They held their breath as the metal door warped and cringed. And finally burst apart, they closed their eyes as the flame of sparks broke out, then reluctantly opened them to the tall crimson figure before them. 

"It's Zero!!" Several of the students cried excitedly, "Is he here to help us?!" 

"Stay BACK children!" Mr. Gar commanded, they fell silent. 

"My, my, my so many people to kill!" Zero said in sickeningly sadistic way. "SO many ways of killing them . . ." 

/This isn't happening/can't be happening/I moved here knowing about the possibility of Mavericks/that's the world in which we live/but no/this is to much/it isn't real/! 

Zero raised his Z Buster and pointed it directly towards Senya and Angel. "I think I'll start with you." 

In an instant the entire left side of their school suddenly collapsed, the sound was tremendous, like the world splitting in half around them, screams of terror went up, among the smoke and dust rising from around them, Zero had evidently lost his footing, surprised as well, and fell backwards, momentarily stunned. 

Senya felt like she was falling off the roof of the world, the world was ending and she was . . . she was . . . 

"Are you alright?" A concerned voice asked. "Senya? Senya?!" And two hands were grasping her shoulders, shaking her. There was something wet and sticky on her forehead. Her body hurt. 

"I'm a. . . alright . . ." She thought she said, then suddenly, "D--DYNAMO?!" 

He was there, the person she never would have thought in five thousand years was there now, she had no words, she was crying. 

A sudden thought hit her, "Oh Goddess--the children!" She tried to stand up, it hurt, he helped her, around her the structure was remarkably well intact, it didn't appear that anyone else had been hurt from his entrance. 

"Don't worry, they're fine--for now." Dynamo told her. 

"What are y--" 

"HEY!" A chilling snarl cut through them. All eyes turned to the Maverick-Hunter-Now-Maverick who had risen up again and was glaring angrily at the group with mad eyes. 

"Zero?!" Dynamo exclaimed, taken aback, he looked from the crimson reploid, to the huddled mass of students, and back again, "What the fucking hell are you DOING?!" He screamed, in a voice Senya had never heard before. "These are fucking KIDS?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" 

"Hm. I though you were a Maverick, Dynamo?" Zero purred softly. "Have a soft spot for human children, do you?" 

"Shut the hell up! I may be a Maverick but this is SICK! You here me, Zero?! SICK!" Dynamo yelled, "And you aren't a Maverick so what the hell is wrong with you?!" 

Through the corner of her eye, Senya could see scattered students making their way down the smouldering wreckage of the structure as the two yelled at one another. /Keep it up./ She pleaded silently, /Don't fight here, please, the children . . ./ 

Zero took the first shot, he aimed a group of freshman students, before Senya could even scream in protest, Dynamo stood in front of them and blocked it. /A side of you I never knew existed./ She thought suddenly. /I knew you weren't as simple as a Maverick, D./ 

"If you want to fight at least fight someone who can fight back!" Dynamo roared at him, firing his own Buster repeatedly at the crimson armored Maverick. 

Zero smiled and easily dodged. "Alright! More FUN!" 

Dynamo took a step back in shock. This was not the Zero that he knew. Obviously. What had happened to him? 

Zero drew his Z-saber in a flash. "I will enjoy this . . ." 

Dynamo gritted his teeth. "I don't know what the fuck is your problem, man, but--" 

Zero charged at him, Dynamo shot his Buster, and pulled out his own saber, slashing Zero across the shoulder. "Senya, get the hell out of here!" He shouted. 

The teacher forced her eyes away from the two battling robots, and eyed the students, almost all of them had gotten down onto the wreckage and were making their way through it with aid from the teachers. "I'll help!" She called. 

Dynamo grunted as the saber cut through his armor easily. /Damn it!/ He thought, /It seems he's stronger now to, or maybe he wasn't really trying that hard when we fought those other times?/ The mercenary drove his own saber into Zero's shoulder, or tried to, the new Maverick deflected it easily and punched Dynamo in the gut with a hard blow. Dynamo fell forwards, gasping, and Zero kicked him harshly. 

A wind suddenly tore through Senya's hair, she looked up, they all did, half a three large helicopters were descending from the sky all around them. "Maverick Hunters!" Angel cried, clasping her hands together. 

Two of the choppers landed around the wreckage and reploids came out, hurrying to aid the fleeing students and faculty. The other began to slowly descend just above them. Dynamo was pinned tot he ground, but Zero looked up at the helicopter with mild amusement. Another Reploid leaned out of it, this one wearing blue armor, a determined and at the same time unbearably sad expression on his young-looking face. "X. . ." Zero hissed. "Look at this X, your precious humans--" 

Than with no warning, absolutely, no warning at all, he leaned forwards, and shot from his Buster. There was a bright light. And one second, Angel was standing beside Senya, her dear friend, looking up with hope at the helicopters, and the next, she was not. Senya's eyes widened in horror, she spun around to see her friend lying among the jagged wreckage, blood covered her chest, her hands raised to it were also sticky with blood, and her long golden hair fanned out around her was also wet with blood. Senya could say nothing, could not even move, her eyes were out of focus, then she realized she was crying, tears ran down her face. "Angel! ANGEL!!" She screamed, kneeling by her friend. 

Angel looked at her with crystal blue eyes as Senya took her hands in her own. She smiled a little, as she always had so many times before. And then her eyes faded softly. And her hands grew numb and lifeless. 

Senya felt the world rock under her in that moment, and screamed "NO!" As loudly as she possibly could. X, watching in horror that his own best friend could do such a thing leapt down from the aircraft, and landed a few feet from the killer. 

"Zero . . ." He gasped in a voice wrought with disbelief, "What have you done? What are you doing?" The gentle blue Hunter looked around at the scene of blood and ruble, the SCHOOL, and just lost himself, screaming, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! ZERO?!?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!" 

For a moment, the blonde reploid did not smile, did not laugh, his eyes did not look mad and insane, they seemed wide and shocked. 

He began to shake. 

Then he stopped, the shock turned into a smile, a grin, mocking all of those he had slain. 

"Damn it Zero!!" X screamed uncontrollably, grabbing Zero's shoulders before the other could protest and shaking him. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!!" He was crying, actually, X, tears had begun to fall from his gentle green eyes. "WHY?! WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!?!" 

Zero smirked, he shoved X roughly away with such force the Hunter toppled over and fell to the ground. But this gave Dynamo an excellent opportunity to jump up, he struck Zero in the jaw with all of his might, the Maverick stumbled backwards. 

"Dynamo?! What are YOU doing here?!" X cried, "I don't have time to deal with YOU!" He pointed his Buster towards the reploid. 

"NO!" A scream from behind him nearly made the Hunter jump, so filled with anguish was it that it shook even him, a reploid. 

A woman, one of the teachers, who was cradling a bloody dead body of a young blonde woman in her arms, with tears running down her face had screamed it. 

"Damn it I'm on YOUR side for once!" Dynamo yelled at him. 

"W--What?" X stammered, at that moment a second figure dropped from the helicopter and landed lightly beside him. This one was a female-figure, wearing lightweight purple and golden armor. 

"What's wrong?" She asked, "If he wants to help let him!" 

"Uh . . . right!" X nodded, and all three reploids turned to face Zero as he rose up one more time . . .   
  


A/N: I really truly apologize if this type of violence is to much for some people, I am not sure, should I boost the rating to 'R' what do you readers think? Is this to much for a PG 13 fic? I really don't want to give this an 'R' rating but . . . Anyway, please don't HATE Zero because of this. The virus Lifesaver gave him completely scrambled his personality, memories, etc, it was so powerful the same thing would have happened to Signas or even X if they had taken it! 


	12. An Unlikely Ally

Zero  
  
Senya Starseeker  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Disclaimer: I'm sure if you've read the other chapters' disclaimers you know by now that I DO NOT OWN Megaman X, kay?  
  
Author's Notes: It takes me forever to update anything, doesn't it? I'm SORRY! But school is a real pain, and I've been suffering through final exam hell. Almost over now, though, no more exams for me until the end of June ::yaay:: anyway, I've been busy with other fics to, the more reviews I get the faster I'll update each fic, okay? But anyway, this is a long chapter, so enjoy it for now, at least. Now, on with the fic . . .  
  
Chapter 12  
  
The crimson reploid rose slowly, picking himself up, his long tangled threads of golden hair streaming in front of his face, his emerald eyes bright with madness.  
  
"What the hell happened to your friend?!" Dynamo exclaimed.  
  
There was no time, however, for explanations, as soon as Zero had risen he jumped towards the three, slashing his saber at them wildly. They quickly leapt aside, May and X were unsure what to do, and still in a state of shock, but Dynamo unhesitantly whipped out his buster and pointed it towards the former Maverick Hunter.  
  
"NO!" X screamed suddenly, roughly tackling Dynamo, who, in surprise lost his balance and slid from the pile of wreckage, taking X with him, a few meters to the ground with a horrible cracking sound.  
  
"X?!" May cried after the two.  
  
"Don't worry, you'll be joining them!" Zero yelled, striking her with a massive force in the stomach, in an instant May felt the rush of wind against her back, and weightlessness, and then a horrible feeling that she was plummeting downwards . . .  
  
"May!" X cried as she landed on her back beside them on the ground.  
  
"I'm . . . okay." She said slowly, struggling to sit up, "You?"  
  
"I'm fine . . ."  
  
"Dammit, X!" Dynamo shouted, apparently very annoyed, "What did you do that for?! How the hell can you be protecting him at a time like this?!"  
  
"And why exactly are you doing protecting humans?" X questioned.  
  
Dynamo's eyes narrowed, he opened his mouth to reply but thought better of it and closed his mouth, an uncharacteristic frown deepening on his face. "It's only through an unlucky series of events I happen to be helping you." He told X dryly, "Believe me, I'd much rather be at home h-"  
  
"G-GUYS!" May stammered, they both looked towards her, Zero had leapt gracefully down to them, grinning widely, his saber drawn.  
  
"I've already killed oh . . . nineteen people today . . . let's see which of you will gets to be lucky number twenty?" He asked wryly.  
  
X looked frustrated and upset and near to tears, "Why? Why? Why, Zero?" He kept asking, in a pleading voice. "Please snap out of it! I know you're stronger than this-this virus!"  
  
"A virus?" Dynamo asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Zero pointed his saber directly towards X, "Cease your sniveling, and fight me now, if you don't, I'll go kill the rest of them."  
  
X blinked in surprise, unsure what to say he did nothing.  
  
Zero moved the saber back, and smiled, closing his eyes softly, "Tsk. I guess that's that then, they all have to die." He leapt back towards what was left of the school.  
  
"What?! No! Wait!" X screamed, running after him, "ZERO!!"  
  
The golden haired one paused, "Oh? You've had a change of heart, have you?"  
  
X pointed his buster at Zero, and fired, it wasn't enough to kill him, but it still hurt to fire at his best friend.  
  
Zero dodged, laughing maniacally, he swerved around, and rammed his saber into X's shoulder before the blue reploid could get out of the way.  
  
"Agh!" X cried, grabbing his arm.  
  
May stepped forwards.  
  
"No!" X cried, "I must do this!" He fired again, this time hitting Zero directly on the chest, the reploid fell backwards, and landed on the ground with a thud.  
  
All four of them remained silent for a moment then, until a low, uncanny, laughter slowly rose from Zero.  
  
"Zero . . ." X murmured.  
  
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha . . ." Zero laughed softly, "So you would hurt your dear friend, after all?" He laughed, rising up off the ground. "Ahahahahahahaha!"  
  
"Zero . . ."  
  
"This is what I wanted!" Zero shouted exuberantly, striking at X again and again with his saber, X trying to dodge and make sense of what he was saying at the same time. "The fight I've been looking for! It would have been so boring to just kill you all right away, I'm so glad I'll at least get a struggle!"  
  
X fired at Zero again, and missed, Zero swung around gracefully behind him, and shoved X down to the ground. He then raised his saber menacingly above X's head, raising it as though to kill him.  
  
A blast shocked through the air, and Zero stood there shaking, having just been hit full-force square in the chest with a shot that was powerful enough to kill, was intended to. His red armor was dented inwards were it had struck, and small bursts of electrical energy crackled about, still.  
  
"Zero?" X asked. "Dynamo, what do you think you're doing?!"  
  
The latter simply tossed his hair over his shoulder in a nonchalant manner, "You should thank me, I wouldn't normally save your life."  
  
Zero, meanwhile, stumbled backwards, in a fazed state, before glaring at the three with angrier eyes than before.  
  
May and X drew their busters as well, and aimed, prepared for if Zero attacked them. He glared at them with narrowed eyes, a frown on his face. Dynamo readied his buster as well. "Not until I give the order." X commanded.  
  
He had taken on a strangely assertive role in this situation. Unfortunately, however, Dynamo seemed to take no interest in following it. A rather amused look on his face, the Maverick mercenary gave X a look that said, 'yeah, right' and fired another round at Zero.  
  
They struck the dazed Zero dead on, and he stumbled backwards a few feet and fell back.  
  
"Dynamo!" X nearly screamed, "What do you think you're doing?!"  
  
"Hey!" Dynamo smiled with a carefree shrug of his shoulders, "I'm just trying to protect the humans."  
  
"Dynamo protecting humans?" X asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow, "Now why do I find that so hard to believe?"  
  
"Uh . . ." Dynamo grimaced, running a hand through his hair as though nervous. "Well . . ."  
  
"GUYS!" May interrupted him, thank the gods Dynamo whispered, because he really had no idea what sort of an excuse he could give.  
  
Zero was busy picking himself up off the ground, he glared at them through icy green eyes, "Is this what you would call a fair fight, X?" He asked. "Three against one?"  
  
"Uh . . ." X shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"Damn it, shut up!" May yelled at him, "X, ignore him, he's to strong!"  
  
"No . . . he's right!" X cried suddenly, "But Zero, if I beat you, you have to come back with us so that Lifesaver can fix what's wrong!"  
  
"You'll have to kill me." Zero smirked, and lunged towards X maniacally, with his saber drawn. He crashed into X, the two spilled to the ground, Zero rolled over and punched X across the face. May cringed at the sound of metal cracking from the force of the blow.  
  
"That's it!" She screamed, pulling out her blaster, she shot fired at Zero, so did Dynamo, although the latter was actually quiet amused him to see the one Maverick Hunter beating the crap out of the other.  
  
The force of May's and Dynamo's shots was enough to send Zero flying backwards, he crashed into the rubble of the school building and got up slowly, obviously he was damaged this time, a few sparking wires had become visible beneath his armor, and he was grimacing. "This isn't over . . ." He hissed, and leapt into the air again.  
  
"Wh-what's he doing?" X asked in amazement, as Zero rose higher and higher into the sky.  
  
"I . . . I think he's flying." May said, equally as astonished.  
  
"He can't fly!" Dynamo fumed angrily.  
  
"Evidently . . . he can." May whispered, she turned to X. "X, I don't think you should try to fight him again, at least not without your ultimate armor."  
  
X sighed, he looked rather sad, but managed to nod.  
  
"And what about all of these civilians?" May asked.  
  
Alia and Douglas leapt down from the helicopter when she said that, "We'll take them back to the HQ to make sure no one is hurt, and stuff." Douglas told her.  
  
"Yes." Alia agreed, "Will you . . . . three . . . . get them together?" She asked. Eyeing Dynamo strangely.  
  
Dynamo grimaced inwardly, more helping humans? He hated the thought, and it would be just his luck that the other Mavericks found out about it to, he thought. But he didn't have much choice, he went back to the group, and found Senya still pretty shocked standing with a bunch of other teachers and students.  
  
He thought about just leaving, but somehow he thought that wouldn't quite be fair. /Damn it all! I'm a Maverick, why the hell do I care about what's right and wrong?/ He screamed inside of his head. /What the hell is happening to me?/  
  
The others would never let him live it down, and then there was his assistant, he didn't want to know what would happen if she found out about his little affair with the human woman. /Damn it damn it damn it!/ He cursed mentally, /and they warned me my carefree nature would get me in trouble one day!/  
  
To make matters worse, as soon as the three Reploids approached the humans, Senya bolted straight for him, and threw her arms around him as X and May gaped in disbelief. So did all of the humans, and not to mention Alia and Douglas who were behind them. He tried a lopsided nervous grin, maybe he could just go with the flow, it had worked pretty well the rest of his life. "So-ah-ha-you okay, Sen?" He asked.  
  
It seemed that she'd just noticed everyone staring at them too, and quickly went red, "Aw, crap." She muttered.  
  
Then they noticed the cameras. News crews were swarming them, photographers flashed pictures of everything, news crews had already swarmed over the group, interviewing students, teachers, the Hunters, anyone they could get their hands on.  
  
"Is it true the famous Maverick Hunter Zero Omega has gone Maverick?" One reporter interrogated X furiously.  
  
"U-Uh no, it's something else . . ."  
  
"How did you feel to know your life was in danger?"  
  
"Can you trust Reploids again?"  
  
"Is it true you are a cyborg? Part human, part Reploid?"  
  
"How did you react to knowing several of your classmates and friends were killed in your own school?"  
  
Then it was their turn, of course reporters would love them, Dynamo thought, no human-interest story could possibly beat that of lonely young school teacher having a secret love affair with a renegade Maverick mercenary. He groaned silently and hoped his assistant wasn't watching the news.  
  
"So, you two are a couple?"  
  
"How long has your relationship been going on for?"  
  
"Are you aware you are the first Reploid/Human couple in the history of the world?!"  
  
"How did you meet?"  
  
The questions bombarded them from all sides.  
  
"Uh . . . uh . . . uh . . . w-we're really more like . . . uh . . . friends . . .?" Senya stammered nervously.  
  
"Oh, like that really helps." Dynamo whispered to her sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah, well what do you suggest?" She shot back in an equally whispered tone.  
  
"I dunno, maybe we should just go with it." He grinned, back to his old not-a-care-in-the-world self.  
  
"What about my job and your reputation." She hissed, "Who's going to hire a Maverick mercenary who cuddles up to humans? Or a school teacher who hangs out with a Maverick?"  
  
The lady had a point. Several in fact. But they were definitely in a tight spot.  
  
"Is it true you were once a Maverick?" One reported asked Dynamo.  
  
"I wouldn't say "once."" Dynamo replied slyly, eyes narrowing at them with a kind of sadistic smirk on his face.  
  
The people took the hint, and quickly backed away from them. Senya breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, you can go to the Maverick Hunter's HQ with the rest of them." Dynamo told her, "I'm gonna go."  
  
"What? You can't just leave like that!" She demanded.  
  
"Why not?" He asked.  
  
"Well-be-because, it wouldn't be very nice!"  
  
/Oh please, is that the best you could do?/ Dynamo thought. "Sorry." He shrugged.  
  
"One of my best friends since Grade 10 just died today!"  
  
"Shit happens."  
  
"DYNAMO!!" She cried, she was practically in tears now, he'd never seen her so upset, for some reason it bothered him greatly.  
  
". . . . I'm sorry. That's why I don't get close to people, they end up dying. There are only two people on this planet I care about in the least. One is you. . ." /And the other one would kill me if she knew you existed!/ Of course he didn't say the last part out loud, but the more time he spent with them the more chance all of the Mavericks were going to no he'd been spending time with a human, and even protected them.  
  
"Please, Dynamo, at least stay for a little while?" She pleaded.  
  
"The Hunters will take care of you." He said, a little annoyed.  
  
"But I hate places like that! Military bases, government buildings, office buildings, jails, asylums . . ."  
  
"The Maverick Hunter Head Quarters isn't any of those things." He told her.  
  
"No, it's like all of them rolled into one!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Hahahahahaha!" He laughed.  
  
"What's so funny?!" She demanded.  
  
"Haha-n-nothing, I just hate those kinds of places to, and your right, it is. But do you really think they're gonna let a Maverick walk right in? Besides, I have to go before they forget I saved their sorry asses and arrest me."  
  
"A-Actually," Alia interrupted them, both turned to see her, "A- Actually, I just received a transmission from Dr. Cain, he's in charge for the moment, and he says after what you did you could stay for a while and h- help."  
  
"We're you listening in on our conversation?" Dynamo and Senya demanded.  
  
"Uh n-no." Alia replied.  
  
Even though it was obvious she had been.  
  
Dynamo sighed, didn't look like he was going to get out of this. Unless he just left. Why the hell was that so hard to do lately, anyway, he wondered?  
  
They began towards the large MH HQ, it was huge, even though it had been damaged by Zero's attack. It was huge, and they ushered the humans in, in pairs, checking them over and sending them to the doctors and paramedics they had called over.  
  
"Damn, I hate doctors." Senya muttered, "Let's go this way." She pulled Dynamo's arm and they swerved abruptly down a hallway to the side.  
  
"Uh . . . I don't think we should be going this way." Dynamo said, "It'd be better to stay with the others."  
  
"That's strangely unlike the smiley faced D I know and love." She joked.  
  
He did not reply, Maverick Hunter were passing through the hallway all around him, several gave him strange looks, the fact of the matter was that he had to be outnumbered at least one thousand to one in the massive complex and he didn't trust or like the Hunters in the least. He did not want to be there.  
  
Senya seemed to notice his expression and tightened her grip on his arm possessively, it wasn't like her at all, but he knew she was probably going through post-traumatic stress or something.  
  
"Dynamo!" X's voice suddenly said, the Maverick's back tightened.  
  
"Oh . . . hello, X." He replied, trying to keep cool even though he knew that if X wanted a fight he couldn't possible beat every Hunter in the base. Coming with Senya was steadily beginning to seem a bad idea. 


End file.
